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The White House witnessed unprecedented scenes of hostility as US President Donald Trump shouted at Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy to pressure him into accepting a ceasefire.
Trump, Zelenskyy and Vance engaged in a heated exchange in the White House on Friday. (Reuters)
The heated exchange between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House was an extraordinary spectacle, representing the stark shift in Washington’s policy towards ending the war and establishing peace in war-torn Ukraine.
What started as a courteous photo opportunity devolved into a shouting match between the two leaders, plunging the relations between the two countries to a new low. Much of the chaos happened in the last 10 minutes of the conversation.
Zelenskyy will return home empty-handed after Trump showed him the door and scrapped a rare minerals deal that was touted as one step closer to ending the war. The US President has made it clear that he does not view Zelenskyy as one who is interested in peace.
“We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today. Much was learned that could never be understood without conversation under such fire and pressure. It’s amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if… pic.twitter.com/CtnqXBNcW3— President Donald J. Trump (@POTUS) February 28, 2025
Here’s how the talks went from being professional to a fiery spat between the two heads of state.
‘It’s An Honour To Have You’: Talks Start On Pleasant Note
Despite strained ties between Trump and Zelenskyy, the meeting started on a good note. “I give tremendous credit to your generals and your soldiers and yourself in the sense that it’s been very hard fighting. Great fighters and you have to be very proud of them, but now we want to get it over with. It’s enough. It’s an honour to have you here. Thank you very much for coming.”
Trump also said the agreement of rare minerals deal was to be signed after lunch. For his part, Zelenskyy thanked the US President for his invitation and expressed hope that the agreement would be the first step to real security guarantees for Ukraine.
“Of course, we count on that America will not stop support, really for us, it’s very important to support and to continue it,” Zelenskyy said. “You said ‘enough with the war.’ I think it’s very important to say these words to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin at the very beginning of the war because he is a killer and a terrorist, but I hope together we can stop him.”
‘They Do Not Like Each Other’: Trump on Putin, Zelenskyy
Trump also said that the US will send arms to Ukraine, but hoped that he would not have to send very much “because hopefully we’re going to have it finished.” Trump’s remarks hinted that the US may reduce the arms supplied to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy, sharing pictures of Ukrainian prisoners of war with Trump, said he could not accept just a ceasefire. “It will not work without security guarantees,” he said. “Putin’s soldiers are afraid of our soldiers when we are strong enough. If we are not strong enough, we are empty, if our storage is empty, we can’t defend our land.”
Trump also spoke about the relationship between Zelenskyy and Putin. “They do not like each other. This is not a love match. And it’s unfortunate. That’s why you’re in this situation. The United States should not have allowed this to happen,” he said, attacking his predecessor Joe Biden, whom he called “incompetent”.
‘I’m Not Allied To Anybody’: Trump
When Trump was asked about concerns about siding too much with Putin, he said he was only allied with American interests. “If I didn’t align myself with both of them, you’d never have a deal. You want me to say really terrible things about Putin and then say, ‘Hi, Vladimir, how are we doing on the deal?’ That doesn’t work that way.”
“I’m not aligned with Putin. I’m not aligned with anybody. I’m aligned with the United States of America. And for the good of the world, I’m aligned with the world. And I want to get this thing over with. You see the hatred he’s got for Putin. It’s very tough for me to make a deal with that kind of hate. He’s got tremendous hatred. And I understand that, but I can tell you the other side isn’t exactly in love with, you know, him either. So it’s not a question of alignment,” Trump further remarked.
He further said, “I’m aligned with Europe. I want to see if we can get this thing done. You want me to be tough? I could be tougher than any human being you’ve ever seen. I’d be so tough. But you’re never going to get a deal that way. So that’s the way it goes.”
When The Bomb Dropped: JD Vance Calls Out The ‘Disrespect’
With 10 minutes left in the 45-minute interaction, things escalated quickly when Vice President Vance interjected on Russia and diplomacy. Vance’s remarks were aimed at Biden’s policy of tackling Russian aggression, saying the path to prosperity was to engage in diplomacy.
“We tried the pathway of Joe Biden, of thumping our chest and pretending that the president of the United States’ words mattered more than the president of the United States’ actions. What makes America a good country is America engaging in diplomacy. That’s what President Trump is doing,” the VP added. However, Zelenskyy proceeded to challenge Vance’s views on Russia and diplomacy.
“Can I ask you? So he (Putin) occupied it, our parts, big parts of Ukraine, parts of east and Crimea. So, he occupied it in 2014. So during a lot of years — I’m not speaking about just Biden, but those times was (Barack) Obama, then President Obama, then President Trump, then President Biden, now President Trump. And God bless, now, President Trump will stop him. But during 2014, nobody stopped him. He just occupied and took. He killed people,” Zelenskyy said.
“He broke the ceasefire, he killed our people, and he didn’t exchange prisoners. We signed the exchange of prisoners. But he didn’t do it. What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about? What do you mean?,” the Ukrainian President said in what many took as a confrontational tone.
Responding heatedly, Vance said, “I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country. Mr President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media. Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict.”
Trump Erupts After Zelenskyy’s ‘You Will Feel It’ Remark
Things took a dramatic turn when Zelenskyy said, “During the war, everybody has problems, even you. But you have a nice ocean and don’t feel it now, but you will feel it in the future.” This statement attracted the ire of the US President, which drew him into the clash.
“You don’t know that. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel,” Trump said. Zelenskyy tried to interject, but Trump pushed in, “You are in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel. We’re going to feel very good.”
“You’re right now not in a very good position. You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position and he (Vance) happens to be right about it,” the US President continued, talking over Zelenskyy’s repeated interruptions. “You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards.”
Trump accused the Ukrainian leader of “gambling with the lives of millions of people and World War III”. He said, “What you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country. It’s back to you far more than a lot of people said they should have.”
‘You Are Not Winning This’
After Vance raked up Zelenskyy’s visit to Pennsylvania ahead of the US elections and accused him of supporting the opposition, the latter said, “Please, you think that if you will speak very loudly about the war, you can…”
Trump cut him off by saying, “He’s not speaking loudly. Your country is in big trouble. No. You’ve done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble. You’re not winning. You have a damn good chance of coming out okay because of us.”
Referring to Biden’s military aids to Kyiv, Trump then said that the US had given Ukraine $350 billion and military equipment through a “stupid president”, adding that without the US military support, the war would have ended in two weeks and that Ukraine was in big trouble.
Trump and Vance repeatedly attacked Zelenskyy over his lack of gratitude. “I think it’s good for the American people to see what’s going on,” Trump said. “You don’t have the cards. You’re buried there. Your people are dying. You’re running low on soldiers… If you could get a ceasefire right now, I tell you, you take it. So the bullets stop flying and your men stop getting killed.”
‘This Is Going To Be Great TV’
As the chaotic meeting came close to an end, Trump attacked Biden and Democrats for failing to tackle Russia. “The problem is, I’ve empowered you (Zelenskyy) to be a tough guy. I don’t think you’d be a tough guy without the United States. Your people are very brave. But you’re either going to make a deal or we’re out.”
“If we’re out, you’ll fight it out. I don’t think it’s going to be pretty, but you’ll fight it out. But you don’t have the cards. But once we sign that deal, you’re in a much better position, but you’re not acting at all thankful. And that’s not a nice thing. I’ll be honest,” he added.
Trump wrapped up the meeting by saying, “I think we’ve seen enough. What do you think? This is going to be great television. I will say that.”
- Location :
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
