Oval Office showdown erupts as Trump and Vance blast Zelenskyy in
Trump-Zelenskyy Oval Office confrontation
President Donald Trump berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for being "disrespectful" Friday in an extraordinary Oval Office meeting, then abruptly called off the signing of a minerals deal that Trump said would have moved Ukraine closer to ending its war with Russia.
OAKLAND, Calif. - A tense exchange between President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy flared into a very public argument in the Oval Office Friday, exposing big differences between the two leaders over the degree of trust in Russia's President Vladimir Putin.
The countries continue to try to craft a peace deal to end the war that began three years ago when Russia invaded Ukraine's territory.
"You're not in a good position, you don't have the cards right now. With us, you have cards," Trump said during a news conference that became increasingly combative.
"We're not playing cards," Zelenskyy replied.
"You're gambling the lives of millions of people. You're gambling with World War III," Trump continued.
Vice President JD Vance jumped in at one point, accusing Zelenskyy of rejecting a diplomatic solution to ending the war with Russia.
Zelenskyy made clear that he did not view Putin as trustworthy, and listed reasons why he felt the Russian leader had violated previous agreements and could not be trusted.
"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?" Zelenskyy said.
"I'm talking about the kind of diplomacy that's going to end the destruction of your country," Vance replied.
Vance and Trump called Zelenskyy ungrateful.
"Have you said thank you once?" Vance asked.
"We are thankful. I said thanks to this cabinet," Zelenskyy replied, noting he had already expressed his gratitude multiple times.
"You haven't been alone. We gave you, stupid president, $350 billion," Trump said, interrupting Zelenskyy and referring to Trump's predecessor, President Joe Biden.
"If you didn't have our military equipment, this would have been over in two weeks," Trump shouted.
"In three days," Zelenskyy said, wryly pointing out that the talking point was a familiar one, "I heard it from Putin."
"It's going to be a very hard thing to do business like this," Trump said.
"Vance and particularly Trump shouting and raising their voices and interrupting. The protocol, in terms of protocol alone, it was unprecedented," University of San Francisco political science professor Stephen Zunes said.
Zunes said Trump made several false statements.
He says Zelenskyy has support from a majority of Ukrainians, not a minority. Also, Zunes noted that the U.S. has given a little more than $100 billion in assistance to Ukraine, not $350 billion.
"The Europeans have actually been paying more than the United States has, in terms of supporting the Ukrainian war effort. The other main issues are the history of the war. That it was the Russians that started it by invading," Zunes said.
Bay Area Ukrainian Americans said they were shocked to see the public clash.
"I feel a sense of sadness," Igor Tregub, a Berkeley city council member, said. "Decades of American foreign policy that is supposed to work with the international community in support of democracies has been completely upended."
"These are pretty much Putin's demands. This is what he's looking for," Eugene Tarasov, the co-founder and CEO of the non-profit Hearts for Ukraine said.
"I think there should be proper negotiations, and Ukraine needs to be heard and what their vision and goals are for the peace and how they see it," Tarasov said.
Zelenskyy had been invited to the White House to sign a minerals deal that Trump had framed as a move towards ending the war with Russia. After the heated news conference, the White House said Zelenskyy was told to leave.
Some Republicans in Congress, such as Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, publicly applauded the President.
"I have never been more proud of President @realDonaldTrump and Vice President @JDVance for standing up for America First," Sen. Graham posted on his social media account.
Former Congresswoman Liz Cheney, a Republican, blasted Trump and Vance, saying in a social media post, "Generations of American patriots, from our revolution onward, have fought for the principles Zelenskyy is risking his life to defend. History will remember this day — when an American President and Vice President abandoned all we stand for."
Heads of state and top officials posted support for Ukraine on social media after the meeting, and were thanked by Zelenskyy on his social media site.
These included the countries of: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.