US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a public argument at the White House on Friday, February 28, 2025.
The meeting, intended for signing a US-Ukrainian minerals deal, turned into a shouting match in front of diplomats and media.
Trump and Vice President JD Vance criticized Zelensky for allegedly being ungrateful for American support during Ukraine’s three-year war with Russia.
The confrontation began after Vance mentioned the need for diplomacy to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict. When Zelensky tried to explain how Russia had broken previous agreements, the situation worsened.
“You’re right now, not really in a very good position. You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position,” Trump told Zelensky.
When Zelensky attempted to respond to Vance, saying, “Please, you think that if you will speak very loudly…”, Trump interrupted.
“He’s not speaking loudly,” Trump said. “No, no, you’ve done a lot of talking. Your country is not winning.”
Trump and Vance repeatedly suggested Zelensky wasn’t showing enough appreciation for US support.
“You’re not acting at all thankful. And that’s not a nice thing. I’ll be honest, that’s not a nice thing,” Trump said.
Vance asked Zelensky directly: “Have you even once said thank you in this meeting? Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country.”
Zelensky responded that he had expressed gratitude “a lot of times.”
Trump then issued an ultimatum: “You’re either going to make a deal or we’re out. And if we’re out, you’ll fight it out and I don’t think it’s going to be pretty.”
He also accused Zelensky of “gambling with World War III” and stated that Ukraine does not “have the cards” to continue fighting Russia.
After about 40 minutes, Trump ended the meeting abruptly, saying, “I think we’ve seen enough. What do you think? This is going to be great television, I will say that.”
A 12-second video of Ukraine’s US ambassador Oksana Markarova hiding her face behind her hands went viral on social media. White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino shared the clip on X with the comment: “Ukrainian Ambassador understands that Zelensky is a complete and total disaster.”
Following the confrontation, Trump met with his top advisers before deciding to end Zelensky’s visit. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security adviser Mike Waltz informed Zelensky that the visit was over.
The Ukrainian delegation, which had waited in another room for about an hour, left without signing the minerals deal or having the scheduled lunch with the President.
Trump later posted on Truth Social: “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. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
When asked about the incident afterward, Zelensky refused to apologize, saying, “I’m not sure that we did something bad.”
