Zelenskyy, Trump and Vance meet in the Oval Office. Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty
Trump and Vance Clash with Zelenskyy in Heated White House Meeting Over Ukraine War
What started as a high-stakes diplomatic meeting quickly turned into a tense showdown between U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The meeting, held on Friday, Feb. 28, was supposed to focus on a natural resources agreement and potential steps toward ending the ongoing war with Russia. Instead, emotions ran high, with Trump and Vance accusing Zelenskyy of being ungrateful for U.S. support.
A Meeting with High Hopes
Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington was his first since Trump took office in January. The leaders were expected to discuss a crucial deal on natural resources and strategies to push forward peace negotiations. Trump, speaking to reporters inside the Oval Office, struck an optimistic tone at first.
“We’re going to sign the agreement at the conference in the East Room a little while, right after lunch,” he said. “The really exciting moment is when they stop the shooting and we end up with the deal. And I think we’re fairly close to getting that.”
But that hopeful outlook didn’t last long. The discussion quickly escalated into a heated exchange when Vice President Vance accused Zelenskyy of trying to argue U.S. policy in front of the media.
Tensions Boil Over
Vance didn’t hold back, telling Zelenskyy that Ukraine was struggling with manpower and should be more appreciative of U.S. efforts to broker peace.
“Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems,” Vance said. “You should be thanking the president for trying to bring you into this conference.”
Zelenskyy fired back, pointing out that Vance had never been to Ukraine or seen the war up close.
Read Also: Anti Trump Podcast Surpasses Joe Rogan in Massive Listener Surge
“We’re trying to solve a problem,” Zelenskyy said. “Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel because you’re in no position to dictate that.”
Trump then turned the conversation toward what he saw as a bigger issue: the risk of global conflict.
“You’re gambling with World War III,” Trump warned. “And what you’re doing is very disrespectful to this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have.”
The Biden Connection
At one point, Trump accused Zelenskyy of being too closely aligned with former President Joe Biden and his administration.
“We gave you, through this stupid president, $350 billion,” Trump said, referring to Biden. “We gave you military equipment. Your men are brave, but they had to use our military equipment. If you didn’t have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks.”
As the discussion grew more intense, a White House staffer was overheard whispering, “This is going to be big.”
Eventually, Trump seemed to recognize the drama unfolding and made an offhand comment to reporters.
“This will make for great television,” he said before sending the media out of the room to continue discussions privately.
A Sudden Exit
Originally, Trump and Zelenskyy had planned to hold a joint press conference after their meeting. But as Zelenskyy’s motorcade pulled up to the White House ahead of schedule, it became clear that the press event had been canceled.
According to Semafor White House correspondent Shelby Talcott, the natural resources deal was left unsigned. Shortly after, Trump took to Truth Social to share his take on the situation.
“We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today,” Trump wrote. “Much was learned that could never be understood without conversation under such fire and pressure.”
He went on to suggest that Zelenskyy wasn’t ready for peace, at least not if the U.S. was involved.
“It’s amazing what comes out through emotion,” Trump continued. “I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations. I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
Zelenskyy, on the other hand, took a more diplomatic approach in his response. He expressed gratitude for America’s ongoing support, posting on X (formerly Twitter):
“Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.”
