President Donald Trump on Friday accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of not being “ready for Peace” as long as the U.S. was “involved” in talks about ending the ongoing Russian invasion of his country.
Trump’s announcement came after a meeting with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office devolved into a shouting match, with both the U.S. president and Vice President JD Vance accusing the Ukraine leader of disrespect.
The meltdown live on camera threw into doubt the prospect of a critical deal between Washington and Kyiv.
“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,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post after the clash.
“I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE,” Trump wrote. “He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
The White House confirmed after the post that a bilateral press conference with Trump and Zelenskyy, scheduled for Friday afternoon, had been cancelled.
Around 1:40 p.m. ET, Zelenskyy departed the White House.
Zelenskyy had traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with Trump and sign a deal to grant the United States access to some of Ukraine’s supply of critical minerals, a demand that has become central to Trump’s continuing support for Ukraine.
But the conversation took a sharp turn when Vance accused Zelenskyy of being disrespectful.
As the back-and-forth grew more heated, Trump, raising his voice to a near-shout, told Zelenskyy, “You’re gambling with World War III.”
The stunning press event went off the rails after Trump was asked about his posture toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, which Ukraine’s supporters criticize as being too friendly, versus Zelenskyy, whom he recently called a “dictator.”
After Trump said he was aligning himself with “both of them” in order to seek peace, Vance added that former President Joe Biden’s attacks against Putin only resulted in more fighting and destruction.
“The path to peace and the path to prosperity is maybe engaging in diplomacy,” Vance said.
Zelenskyy asked to respond to Vance, noting that Putin previously broke ceasefire agreements.
“What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about?” Zelenskyy said. “What do you mean?”
Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova during today’s Oval Office meeting with President Trump, VP Vance and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.
White House Pool
Vance shot back, “I’m talking diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country.” He then added, “I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office try to litigate this in front of the American media.”
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.”
Trump then interrupted him: “Don’t tell us what we’re gonna feel, we’re trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re gonna feel.”
“I’m not telling you …” said the Ukrainian president.
“You’re in no position to dictate that. You’re in no position to dictate what we’re gonna feel,” Trump said.
The conversation continued to break down from there, as Vance asked Zelenskyy, “Have you said ‘thank you’ once?”
When Zelenskyy said that he had done so “a lot of times,” Vance replied, “No, in this entire meeting have you said thank you?”
Raising his voice, the president said, “You don’t have the cards right now … you’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III. You’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country.”
The critical minerals deal was reportedly supposed to create a joint investment fund in which Ukraine would deposit 50% of all revenue earned from the future monetization of its natural resource assets. The fund would then invest in Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction and the revival of the embattled nation’s tattered economy.
Trump, since re-taking the White House last month, has prioritized recouping the billions of dollars that U.S. has sent Kyiv in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Trump has used similar tactics before. During his first term in office, he brokered a critical minerals development deal with former Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani in an effort to offset the costs of propping up the government in Kabul.
Zelenskyy, whose relationship with the U.S. shifted dramatically after Trump defeated President Joe Biden in November, has pushed for any ceasefire deal with Russia to include robust security guarantees.
