Washington witnessed a dramatic confrontation between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during their Oval Office meeting on Friday, exposing deep divisions over security guarantees and Ukraine’s mineral rights deal.
According to The New York Times, just hours before the meeting, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina had advised Zelenskyy to avoid conflict with Trump. “Don’t take the bait,” Graham warned, urging the Ukrainian leader to steer clear of arguments over security agreements.
However, Zelenskyy did not hold back his concerns about US support for Ukraine against Russian aggression. This led to an extraordinary public rebuke by Trump, who has demanded greater deference from world leaders since his re-election.
Citing three sources familiar with the meeting, The New York Times reported that Trump and Vice President JD Vance were not initially seeking to derail the mineral rights deal Zelenskyy was expected to sign in Washington. However, tensions escalated when Zelenskyy did not sufficiently express gratitude for US efforts to end the war—something Trump had wanted to hear—and instead pushed for stronger security commitments, which Trump resisted.
As a result, Zelenskyy left the White House without a signed agreement on Ukraine’s mineral rights, which Trump had pursued for weeks, and with an even more strained relationship with his country’s most crucial ally.
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‘Oh Look, You’re All Dressed Up’: Trump’s Jab Before Tensions With Zelenskyy Explode On Camera
Trump had invited Graham to attend the expected signing ceremony, believing the mineral rights deal would be a significant achievement following his bilateral meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier in the week.
The negotiations had been fraught, with both sides harbouring distrust, as per the NYT’s report. The US team had accused Ukrainian officials of stalling talks, while Ukraine was angered by American discussions with Russian representatives regarding peace efforts.
When Trump welcomed Zelenskyy to the White House, he took an immediate jab at his military-style attire. “Oh look, you’re all dressed up,” Trump remarked, seemingly irked by Zelenskyy’s refusal to wear a suit, a stance the Ukrainian leader has maintained as a show of solidarity with his soldiers.
Graham, who met Zelenskyy earlier in the day along with a dozen senators, has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine. However, his warning underscored the shifting US political landscape, where both Republicans and even some Democrats have recalibrated their stance on Ukraine in alignment with Trump’s foreign policy, as per the report.
During their closed-door bilateral meeting, Trump and Zelenskyy reportedly maintained a cordial tone. However, when reporters entered the room, the atmosphere shifted dramatically.
Trump became visibly irritated when pressed on security guarantees for Ukraine, which Zelenskyy had hoped to secure in exchange for the US obtaining a stake in Ukraine’s natural resources. The guarantees were a top priority for Ukraine, given Washington’s nuclear capabilities and its role as a deterrent to Russian aggression.
The tension escalated when a reporter asked Trump to address concerns about his close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump denied any alignment with Putin, insisting he was prioritising a peace deal.
At one point, Trump attempted to correct Zelenskyy on the year Russia annexed Crimea but got the date wrong. Zelenskyy corrected him, highlighting Putin’s repeated violations of ceasefire agreements. This led to a sharp rebuke from Vance, who accused Zelenskyy of being “disrespectful” to Trump.
The most contentious moment came when Zelenskyy warned that the war in Ukraine posed a threat to the US. “You have nice ocean and don’t feel now, but you will feel it in the future,” he cautioned.
Trump shot back, warning Zelenskyy that he was “not in a very good position” and was “gambling with World War III.” He then mocked a journalist who questioned what would happen if Russia broke a ceasefire.
“What if anything?” Trump responded. “What if a bomb drops on your head right now? OK? What if they broke it? I don’t know, they broke it with Biden because Biden, they didn’t respect him. They didn’t respect Obama. They respect me.”
As the heated exchange unfolded, Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, buried her face in her hands.
Trump eventually declared the conversation over, remarking that it would make for “great television” before leaving the room.
Following the clash, Trump huddled with his aides in the Oval Office while Zelenskyy and his team waited in the Roosevelt Room. The planned signing ceremony, joint press conference, and lunch were abruptly called off. As per the report, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz informed the Ukrainian delegation that the remaining events were cancelled. A Ukrainian official suggested a private one-on-one meeting to defuse tensions, but the US side rejected the proposal.
Trump went ahead with the planned lunch without Zelenskyy, filling the vacant seats with his top aides. Deputy White House Chief of Staff Dan Scavino later posted gleefully on social media about the meal, which included a spring green salad, rosemary roasted chicken, and crème brûlée.
GOP Rallies Behind Trump
Despite the spectacle, Republican leaders swiftly aligned behind Trump. Graham told reporters that Zelenskyy should “resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or change.” Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker, who had earlier assured Zelenskyy of US support, deleted a post showing him shaking hands with the Ukrainian leader, according to the NYT.
That evening, Zelenskyy appeared on Fox News for a previously scheduled interview, where some Republicans hoped he would apologise for the White House confrontation. Instead, while expressing some regret over the meeting’s outcome, he maintained that Ukraine’s stance was justified.
“I think that we have to be very open and very honest,” Zelenskyy said. “And I’m not sure that we did something bad.”
