President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance engaged in a tense exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday.
The Oval Office meeting, originally set to finalize an agreement granting the US access to Ukraine's rare-earth minerals, quickly devolved into a verbal clash.
Tensions spiked when Vance urged “diplomacy” to end the war. Zelensky challenged the remark, asking, "What kind of diplomacy?" prompting Vance to accuse him of being "disrespectful" in the White House.
Trump backed his vice president, admonishing Zelensky for what he described as a lack of gratitude. "You're not acting thankful," Trump said, before accusing him of "gambling with World War III" by refusing to negotiate with Russia. "You're gambling with the lives of millions of people," Trump stated.
Trump then delivered an ultimatum to Zelensky, "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 underscored the scale of US aid to Ukraine, saying, "We gave you, through this stupid president (Joe Biden), $350 billion. We gave you military equipment... If you didn't have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks."
Vance echoed Trump's position, accusing Ukraine of prolonging the war. Zelensky remained composed but pushed back, telling Trump and Vance they were "speaking loudly."
The meeting ended abruptly, with Trump canceling a planned joint press conference. Zelensky departed in his motorcade soon after, leaving the minerals deal unresolved. A White House official later confirmed that no agreement had been signed.
Trump took to his Truth Social platform to further criticize the Ukrainian president, writing, "He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office." Zelensky is "not ready for Peace," Trump wrote.
Trump has insisted the minerals deal is essential for the US to recoup the billions in military and financial aid provided to Kyiv.
"We’ll be dig, dig, digging," Trump said just a day before the meeting, signaling his intent to secure Ukraine’s resources for American interests.
The confrontation came despite Trump recently softening his tone on Zelensky. Just last week, he labeled the Ukrainian president a "dictator without elections."
Zelensky’s visit to the White House had been planned to finalize the minerals agreement and discuss possible steps toward a peace deal with Russia. Instead, it ended with heightened tensions.
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