[D66] Zelenskyy's White House meeting ends in blowup with Trump and Vance over Ukraine's future

[René Oudeweg]

cbsnews.com
Zelenskyy's White House meeting ends in blowup with Trump and Vance over 
Ukraine's future
Kathryn Watson, Jennifer Jacobs, Weijia Jiang, Olivia Rinaldi
13–16 minutes

The signing of a key minerals agreement with Ukraine and a scheduled 
news conference Friday by President Trump and Ukrainian President 
Volodymyr Zelenskyy were abruptly canceled and the Ukrainian leader's 
visit cut short after an Oval Office meeting that included Vice 
President JD Vance descended into insults and chaos.

Afterward, the Ukrainians left the Oval Office to head to a "separated 
room," while the U.S. team stayed in the Oval Office, a White House 
official said. While the Ukrainians were waiting in the other room, 
national security adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio 
told them to leave. The official said Zelenskyy was trying to smooth 
things over and asked for a reset, but Mr. Trump and other 
administration officials were offended by Zelenskyy's behavior.

The contentious meeting exposed severe rifts between the U.S. and 
Ukraine, upending the planned signing of a rare minerals deal between 
the two countries as Mr. Trump pressures Ukraine to agree to end the war 
that Russia began. During the course of the meeting, Mr. Trump 
threatened Zelenskyy to make a deal with Russia or "we're out," and 
Vance accused the Ukrainian leader of being "disrespectful."

Later in the day, high level administration sources confirmed to CBS 
that there have been discussions about whether U.S. will keep sending 
military aid to Ukraine after the Oval Office clash between Mr. Trump 
and Zelenskyy.

The meeting veered into tense exchanges after Vance said during the 
course of the meeting that the world has reached this point in part 
because of the Biden administration's actions, and said it was time for 
diplomacy.

Zelenskyy challenged Vance on this point, noting there had been other 
ceasefire agreements Russian President Vladimir Putin had broken — and 
not just during the Obama administration. During Mr. Trump's 
administration Putin violated the Minsk ceasefire agreements, which had 
been signed by both Russia and Ukraine. And Zelenskyy pointed out that 
he had signed an agreement with Putin over the exchange of prisoners, 
"but he didn't do it."

"What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about," Zelenskyy asked Vance.

Vance retorted that it was "disrespectful" for Zelenskyy to try to 
"litigate" his case in front of the American media.

"You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this 
conflict," Vance told Zelenskyy.

Heated Trump-Zelenskyy meeting in Oval Office | Special Report 21:01

Zelenskyy asked Vance if he'd ever been to Ukraine.

Vance said he's watched videos of what's happened in Ukraine, accusing 
Zelenskyy of bringing people on a "propaganda tour" when they visit 
Ukraine.

"Do you think that it's respectful to come to the Oval Office of the 
United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to 
prevent the destruction of your country?" Vance asked.

Zelenskyy, noting that for now, the U.S. is separated from the fighting 
by an ocean, said of the war, "You don't feel it now, but you'll feel it 
in the future."

"You don't know that," Mr. Trump argued. "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 gonna feel, because you're in no position to dictate 
that. You're in no position to dictate what we're going to feel. We're 
going to feel very good."

"You don't have the cards right now," Mr. Trump said, as Zelenskyy 
continued to interject and disagree. "With us, you start having cards. 
Right now, you don't have your playing cards, your playing cards — 
you're gambling with the lives of millions of people. "You're gambling 
with World War III. You're gambling with World War III."

"Have you said 'thank you' once, this entire meeting? No, in this entire 
meeting, have you said 'thank you,'" Vance said.

Zelenskyy kept a measured tone throughout the entire exchange, even as 
Mr. Trump and Vance at times raised their voices.

"Please," Zelenskyy said. "You think that if you will speak very loudly 
about the war—"

Mr. Trump cut off Zelenskyy and said his country is in "big trouble" but 
"you have a damn good chance of coming out okay because of us."

Zelenskyy said his country has stayed strong from the beginning of the 
war, and Ukrainians are thankful.

"It's going to be a very hard thing to do business like this," Mr. Trump 
said, as Vance again chided Zelenskyy about saying "thank you."

Mr. Trump said it's "good" for the American people to see what's going on.

"You have to be thankful," Mr. Trump said. "You don't have the cards. 
You're buried there, people are dying, you're running low on soldiers."

Zelenskyy said Ukraine wants the war to end but must have security 
assurances along with any sort of ceasefire agreement.

Amid the chaos, a reporter asked — what if Russia violates a ceasefire?

"What if anything?" Mr. Trump responded. "What if a bomb drops on your 
head right now? Okay?"

Earlier in their meeting, before it grew heated, Zelenskyy said 
negotiations can't only entail talk of a ceasefire, as Mr. Trump pushes 
for a ceasefire agreement without security assurances included.

"Just ceasefire will never work," Zelenskyy said, adding that "25 times" 
Putin "broke his own signature," or violated his word on agreements.

"But he never broke to me," Mr. Trump said.

A White House official said that the Ukrainians "have been difficult to 
negotiate with [for] quite some time," and the Oval Office argument was 
"the tipping point." The minerals deal would have been a "first step to 
a lasting peace," but Zelenskyy "overplayed his cards."

The meeting went so poorly that after it ended, Mr. Trump continued to 
criticize Zelenskyy on social media, saying he is "not ready for peace."

"We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today," Mr. Trump 
wrote on Truth Social. "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 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 was spotted leaving the White House at 1:41 p.m.

After his team was told to leave the White House, Zelenskyy posted on X: 
"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."

Zelenskyy was scheduled to speak at the Hudson Institute in Washington 
Friday afternoon, but according to event organizers, Zelenskyy's office 
informed them he would not be coming.

As Mr. Trump left for his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida on Friday 
afternoon, CBS News asked him what Zelensky needs to do in order for Mr. 
Trump to restart talks.

"He's gotta say, 'I wanna make peace,'" Mr. Trump said. "He doesn't have 
to stand there and say about, 'Putin this, Putin that.' All negative 
things. He's gotta say, 'I wanna make peace. I don't want to fight a war 
any longer.' His people are dying. He doesn't have the cards just so you 
understand it, okay?"
Administration sources on next steps

High-level sources with the Trump administration told CBS News that 
Ukrainian officials reached out Friday afternoon to senior White House 
officials desperate to get the deal back on track. However, they were 
told that would not happen today. Mr. Trump was unwilling to talk to 
Zelenskyy further today, the sources said.

When Rubio and Waltz went into the Roosevelt Room of the White House to 
ask Zelenskyy to leave, they made it clear that any further engagements 
Friday would be counterproductive, the sources said, adding that Waltz 
told Zelenskyy that he had made a tremendous mistake and a disservice to 
Ukraine and to the U.S.

No phone calls between Mr. Trump and Putin have been scheduled, the 
sources added, while multiple European officials have called top Trump 
officials since Zelenskyy departed the White House asking how the 
minerals deal can be salvaged.

Regarding Zelenskyy's request for military guarantees, the U.S. made it 
clear Mr. Trump wanted an economic partnership, and then they would talk 
about the guarantees as part of the ceasefire if it happened, the 
sources said. There was no discussion among Trump officials about 
putting U.S. boots on the ground.

The sources said that the White House is uncertain if it can help 
facilitate an end to the fighting. Mr. Trump is not seeking regime 
change in Ukraine, the sources said, and there have been no discussions 
about who in Ukraine might be a better leader than Zelenskyy.
What to know about Zelenskyy's White House visit

Mr. Trump mentioned earlier this week that the U.S. had reached a deal 
with Zelenskyy on a broad framework for sharing Ukraine's mineral 
resources, and that the Ukrainian leader was coming to the White House 
because he "would like to sign it together with me." Negotiations over 
the minerals continued despite public tension between the two leaders in 
recent days. Mr. Trump appeared to blame Ukraine for the war Russia 
started and labeled Zelenskyy a "dictator," while declining to say the 
same of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

One Ukrainian official told CBS News Kyiv hopes the signing of the 
agreement would ensure the continued flow of security support that 
Ukraine needs. Mr. Trump said Thursday the deal would help pay back 
American taxpayers for supporting Ukraine over the past three years.
President Trump Hosts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy At The White House
President Trump greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he 
arrives at the White House on Feb. 28, 2025. Getty Images

In a post on X Wednesday, Zelenskyy wrote, "Peace and security 
guarantees are the key to ensuring that Russia can no longer destroy the 
lives of other nations." He added, "For me and for all of us in the 
world, it's important that U.S. support is not stopped. Strength is 
needed on the path to peace."

Mr. Trump spoke with Putin earlier this month and said the Russian 
leader wants an end to the war. Last week, the president said he trusts 
Russia to negotiate in good faith, as top Trump administration officials 
met with Russian negotiators in Saudi Arabia without a Ukrainian 
representative. The president on Thursday said he believes Putin would 
comply with any peace agreement reached.

"I don't believe he's going to violate his word," Mr. Trump said.

Mr. Trump last week called Zelenskyy a "dictator," referring to the fact 
that the Ukrainian leader's five-year term expired last year, and no new 
election has been held. Ukraine has been under martial law since soon 
after the war started in 2022, and the country's constitution bans 
elections during martial law. On Monday, during a meeting with French 
President Emmanuel Macron, Mr. Trump was asked whether he views Putin as 
a dictator, since he called Zelenskyy one.

"I don't use those words lightly, I think that we're going to see how it 
all works out," he replied. "Let's see what happens."

Mr. Trump has even cast blame on Kyiv for being invaded by Russia.

"You should have never started it, you could have made a deal," Mr. 
Trump said of Ukraine last week.

Top Trump administration officials have also been reluctant to criticize 
Putin. National security adviser Mike Waltz didn't answer directly when 
a reporter asked him if Mr. Trump views Putin as a dictator. He also 
sidestepped a question about who bears more responsibility for the war, 
Russia or Ukraine.

Referring to Mr. Trump, Waltz replied, "His goal here is to bring this 
war to an end, period."

The president frequently says the war never would have started if he had 
been president, rather than Joe Biden. On the campaign trail, Mr. Trump 
vowed he would end the war between Russia and Ukraine before even taking 
office.

"Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we win the 
presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine 
settled," Mr. Trump said at a June rally. "I will get it settled before 
I even become president."

But after winning the election, Mr. Trump suggested that reaching peace 
between Russia and Ukraine might be more difficult than forging peace in 
the Middle East.

"I think actually more difficult is going to be the Russia-Ukraine 
situation," Mr. Trump said in December. "I see that as more difficult."

Earlier this week, Zelenskyy said he would give up the presidency if 
doing so would achieve lasting peace for Ukraine and membership in NATO.

"If to achieve peace, you really need me to give up my post, I'm ready," 
Zelenskyy said at a forum marking the three-year anniversary of Russia's 
full-scale invasion.



Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in 
Washington, D.C.