Roommates, get into this political tea! Donald Trump and J.D. Vance shouted at Ukraine’s leader on Friday during a meeting in the Oval Office. Video of the heated exchange shows the president and vice poppin’ off on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for “gambling with millions of lives.” Trump also suggested Zelenskyy’s actions could trigger World War III during the conversation about U.S. support in the Russia-Ukraine war.
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Trump & Vance Said THIS To Zelenskyy
During the last 10 minutes of the nearly 45-minute conversation, Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Zelenskyy became heated. The Ukrainian president had questioned Russia’s commitment to diplomacy and cited Moscow’s years of broken commitments on the global stage. At one point in the talk, Zelenskyy called Russian President Vladimir Putin a terrorist. He also told Trump that Ukraine and the world need “no compromises with a killer.”
“Even during the war there are rules,” Zelenskyy said.
Vance interrupted Zelenskyy near the end of the meeting. “Mr. President, with respect. I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media,” the VP said. President Zelenskyy tried to object, questioning if J.D. had even visited Ukraine to speak on it. Vance clapped back by firing off multiple questions at Zelenskyy without letting him speak. After, Zelenskyy said the United States “will feel it in the future.” That set Trump OFF, prompting him to raise his voice and say, “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people.”
“You’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have,” Trump said.
Let’s just say that the antagonism in the Oval Office was real on Friday despite the location’s rep for diplomacy. Trump went full throttle on trying to coerce Zelenskyy to agree to give the U.S. an interest in his country’s valuable minerals.
During the height of the heat, Trump suggested that Zelenskyy wasn’t in a position to be demanding anything.
“You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now,” Donald Trump said, pointing his finger toward Zelenskyy. “With us, you start having cards.” The president also accused Zelenskyy of being “disrespectful” to the U.S.
For a hot minute, the three leaders talked over each other about past international support for Ukraine. While Vance blasted Zelenskyy for allegedly bringing the “disagreements” to the press, Trump suggested he was fine with the drama.
“I think it’s good for the American people to see what’s going on,” he added. “You’re not acting at all thankful,” Trump said before adding, “This is going to be great television.”
Is The U.S. Planning To Help Ukraine Or Not?
Earlier in the meeting Donald Trump said the U.S. would continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine. However, the president also said he hoped that not too much aid would be coming.
“We’re not looking forward to sending a lot of arms,” Trump said. “We’re looking forward to getting the war finished so we can do other things.”
President Trump and Vice President Vance’s harsh words came at a pivotal moment for Ukraine. Zelenskyy had planned to try to convince the White House to support Ukraine’s security against any future Russian aggression. Basically, Ukrainian forces are holding out. Still, Russia’s larger and better-equipped army is making slow but steady advances.
Many Ukrainians fear that quickly negotiated peace isn’t the answer, especially one that bends too much to Russian demands. That could allow Moscow to regroup for a future invasion after current hostilities cease.
That’s why Ukraine leaders wanted guaranteed security from the U.S. in the failed deal. But Trump claims a return to warring between Ukraine and Russia would be unlikely after a signed agreement with the U.S.
So, What Did The Agreement Say?
This was Zelenskyy’s fifth White House visit, but his previous four came during the Biden administration. On Friday, the Ukrainian president was supposed to sign a landmark economic agreement with the U.S. Before tempers went UP in the meeting, Trump suggested he would sign the agreement in the East Room of the White House. He said the U.S. wants to see the killing in the war stopped. The president shared that U.S. money for Ukraine should be “put to different kinds of use like rebuilding.”
The deal was supposed to help with the reconstruction of war-damaged Ukraine. It would’ve closely tied the two countries together for years and, hopefully, helped step toward ending the three-year war.
The U.S. and Ukraine were going to establish a co-owned, jointly managed investment fund. Ukraine planned to contribute 50% of future revenues from natural resources, including minerals, hydrocarbons, and other extractable materials. Trump said the U.S. is interested in some of the mineral reserves, which it could use for everything from artificial intelligence operations to military weapons.
Trump & Zelenskyy Share Messages On Social Media
After the meeting ended early with no signed deal, Trump took to Truth Social. He accused Zelenskyy of not being ready for peace. When he is, Trump said the president is welcomed back to the White House.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s leader shared a message of his own via X, thanking Trump, Congress, and the American people for the meeting. “Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that,” he tweeted.
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Associated Press staff Will Weissert, Zeke Miller, Justin Spike, and Aaamer Madhani contributed to this report.
