WASHINGTON (States Newsroom) — President Donald Trump appeared to even more decisively break with Ukraine and its resistance to the Russian invasion on Friday, when he got into a heated exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting at the White House.
Trump posted on social media afterward the discussion between the two leaders was a “very meaningful meeting” and that he learned much “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,” Trump wrote. “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.”
Russia invaded Ukraine more than three years ago, leading to a war that until now unified Western democracies.
But Trump’s history with Ukraine, which was at the center of his first impeachment, and his friendly relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, have moved America further away from supporting European allies.
Made-for-TV blowup
The disagreement during Friday’s meeting, which was supposed to precede the signing of a rare earth mineral deal between the United States and Ukraine, came about 40 minutes into a 50-minute made-for-TV session in the Oval Office.
Zelenskyy asked Vice President J.D. Vance what types of diplomacy he was suggesting countries engage in with Russia after Zelenskyy detailed Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the signing of a ceasefire deal between Ukraine and Russia in 2019.
“In 2019, I signed with him, (French President Emmanuel) Macron and (Then-German Prime Minister Angela) Merkel, we signed (a) ceasefire,” Zelenskyy said. “All of them told me that he will never go … But after that 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, J.D., are you speaking about?”
Vance responded that he was “talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country” before telling Zelenskyy that his actions were disrespectful.
Zelenskyy invited Vance to come to Ukraine to see what’s happening on the ground amid Russia’s ongoing war, before warning about what Russia’s actions in the future could yield for the United States.
“First of all, during the war, everybody has problems. Even you, but you have nice ocean and don’t feel now. But you will feel it in the future,” Zelenskyy said, before Trump interjected.
“You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards,” Trump said while he and Zelenskyy spoke over each other for several minutes.
Vance then told Zelenskyy to thank Trump for “trying to save your country.”
Zelenskyy said repeatedly that he was thankful for U.S. military aid and that “of course we want to stop the war.”
“But I said to you with guarantees,” Zelenskyy added, referring to his hope that there would be ramifications if Russia were to break a potential ceasefire, just as it did before.
Trump, asked by a reporter what would happen if a ceasefire is signed and then Russia violates the deal, appeared frustrated.
“What if anything? What if a bomb drops on your head right now?” Trump said. “What if they break it? I don’t know.”
Trump said Ukraine wouldn’t be “tough” without the backing of the United States and that Zelenskyy either needs to make a deal with Russia or Trump would rescind military support.
“You either have to make a deal or we’re out. And if we’re out, you’ll fight it out. I don’t think it’s going to be pretty, but you’ll fight it out,” Trump said.
After the meeting ended, Zelenskyy left and the White House canceled a joint press conference.
Europeans back Ukraine, Lindsey Graham backs Trump
European leaders took to social media afterward to post their support for Ukraine, further separating those democracies from the current foreign policy of the Trump administration.
Zelenskyy quoted each post with “Thank you for your support” in English and not Ukrainian, likely to bolster his message with an American audience.
Sen. Lindsey Graham told reporters outside of the White House: “What I saw in the Oval Office was disrespectful, and I don’t know if we could ever do business with Zelenskyy again.”
The South Carolina Republican defended Trump and Vance, saying he’s “never been more proud” of the president and was “very proud” of the vice president for “standing up for our country.”
Graham said he thinks Zelenskyy “has made it almost impossible to sell to the American people that he’s a good investment.”
In a post on social media, New York GOP Rep. Mike Lawler, a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, described the meeting as a “missed opportunity for both the United States and Ukraine — an agreement that would undoubtedly result in stronger economic and security cooperation.”
“Diplomacy is tough and often times there are serious differences of opinion and heated exchanges behind closed doors. Having this spill out into public view was a disaster — especially for Ukraine,” he added.
Nebraska GOP Rep. Don Bacon described the meeting as “a bad day for America’s foreign policy,” per a statement shared with States Newsroom.
“Ukraine wants independence, free markets and rule of law,” Bacon said. “It wants to be part of the West. Russia hates us and our Western values. We should be clear that we stand for freedom.”
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., posted on social media that the “death and destruction of the Russian-provoked war needs to stop immediately, and only our American President can put these two countries on a path to lasting peace.
“President Zelenskyy needed to acknowledge that, and accept the extraordinary mineral rights partnership proposal that President Trump put on the table.”
