Tempers Flare in Oval Office During Trump, Zelenskyy Meeting

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance got into a shouting match with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, a stunning turn of events that streamed live from the White House and around the world.

At one point, according to a White House pool reporter, an administration staffer whispered to another, “This is going to be big.”

The dramatic shift before a room packed with U.S. and international reporters came as Trump and Zelenskyy were set to finalize a deal in which Ukraine would turn over revenue from some of its mineral resources to pay back U.S. military aid to the country after the Russian invasion three years ago.

Brokering the deal itself was said to be tense, with Zelenskyy pressing for security guarantees for his country, and Trump being unwilling to make such a commitment.

The fracas appeared to scuttle the signing of the mineral resources agreement and a joint press conference planned for this afternoon in the East Room of the White House.

“It’s somewhat of an exciting moment,” Trump said of the then-impending signing as the Oval Office meeting got underway.

“But the really exciting moment is … when they stop the shooting and we end up with a deal. And I think we’re fairly close to getting that,” Trump said.

Then things went to hell in a handbasket.

About 40 minutes into the session, which included initial statements from the two presidents and an extended question and answer session with the reporters, Vance could no longer contain himself.

“We tried the pathway of Joe Biden, of thumping our chest and pretending that the president of the United States’ words mattered more than the president of the United States’ actions. What makes America a good country is America engaging in diplomacy. That’s what president Trump’s doing,” he said.

With that, Zelenskyy asked if he could ask a question, and then began talking about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014, the precursor to the current conflict. (Russia first attacked Ukraine in 2014 and then mounted a full-scale invasion in 2022.) 

“He divided parts of Ukraine, part of the East and Crimea,” Zelenskyy said. “Nobody stopped him.”

Zelenskyy then recalled the 2019 ceasefire agreement he signed with Putin, and then an energy contract that went along with it.

Despite the agreement, the Ukrainian president said, Putin broke one promise after another.

“He killed our people; he didn’t exchange prisoners, as he had agreed to. So [what] kind of diplomacy is JD speaking about? What are we doing?”

Vance bristled.

“I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country,” the vice president said. “Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.

“Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems,” he said. “You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict.”

“Have you ever been to Ukraine? Have you seen the problems we have? Come once,” Zelenskyy said.

“I’ve actually watched and seen the stories, and I know what happens — you bring people on a propaganda tour, Mr. President,” Vance said. “Do you disagree that you’ve had problems bringing people in your military, and do you think that it’s respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America, and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?”

At this point, Zelenskyy appeared to try to ease the tensions building in the room.

“Everybody has problems,” he conceded. “Even you. But you have a nice ocean [protecting you] and you don’t feel it now. But you will feel it in the future.”

“You don’t know that,” Trump said. “Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem.”

With that, Zelenskyy and Vance started talking over each other.

“Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel, because you’re in no position to dictate that exactly,” Trump said, cutting through the din. “You’re in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel.

“We’re going to feel very good. We’re going to feel very good and very strong,” Trump said. “You’re right now not in a very good position. You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position. … You don’t have the cards, right now, with us, and you start having problems right now. You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III …  and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should.”

“Have you said thank you once in this entire meeting?” Vance asked.

“You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October. Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country,” he said.

“You think that if you speak very loudly,” Zelenskyy began in response.

“He’s not speaking loudly,” Trump said, cutting him off. 

“Your country is in big trouble,” the president continued.

Zelenskyy tried to interject, but Trump cut him off again.

“No. You’ve done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble. I know you’re not winning. You’re not winning this. You have a damn good chance of coming out okay, because of us,” the president said.

“From the very beginning of the war, we have been alone, and we are thankful,” Zelenskyy said. 

“You haven’t been alone,” Trump said, visibly angry. 

“Through this stupid president,” he said, referring to former President Joe Biden, “We gave you $350 billion in military equipment.

“You and your men are brave, but they had the use of our military equipment,” Trump said. “If you didn’t have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks.”

“In three days,” Zelenskyy said. “I heard it from Putin, in three days.”

“Maybe less,” Trump said, adding, “It’s going to be a very hard thing to do business like this, let me tell you.”

It was now Vance’s turn to try to reign in the argument.

“Accept that there are disagreements, and let’s go litigate those disagreements,” he said to Zelenskyy. “Rather than trying to fight it out in the American media, when you’re wrong. We know you’re wrong.”

By this point, however, Trump was beyond being mollified.

“I think it’s good for the American people to see what’s going on. I think it’s very important,” he said. “That’s why I kept this going for so long.

“You have to be thankful,” he said to Zelenskyy. “You don’t have the cards. You’re buried there. Your people are dying. You’re running low on soldiers.”

Zelenskyy tried to respond.

“Listen,” Trump said. “You’re running low on soldiers. … Then you tell us, ‘I don’t want a ceasefire. I don’t want a ceasefire.’ You could get a ceasefire right now, and I’m telling you, you should take it so the bullets stop flying and your men stop dying.”

“I said I want to stop the war,” Zelenskyy said.

“But you said you don’t want a ceasefire,” Trump said.

“With guarantees,” Zelenskyy said.

“I want a ceasefire,” Trump said. “Because you’ll get a ceasefire faster than an agreement.”

Zelenskyy again tried to bring up the past failed ceasefire agreement with Russia.

“That wasn’t with me,” Trump said. “That was with a guy named Biden who was not a smart person.”

Zelenskyy again tried to speak.

“That was with Obama,” Trump said, his face reddening. “Excuse me, that was with Obama, who gave you [bed] sheets when I gave you Javelin [missiles]. I gave you the Javelins to take out all those tanks. Obama gave you sheets.

“You got to be more thankful, because, let me tell you, you don’t have the cards,” the president continued. “With us, you have the cards, but without us, you don’t have any cards.

“It’ll be a tough deal to make,” Trump said to the broader audience in the room. “Because the attitudes have to change.”

A young woman reporter asked one last question.

“What if Russia breaks the ceasefire?” she said.

“What if anything?” Trump responded. “What if a bomb drops on your head right now?

“What have they broken?” Trump said of the Russians. “I don’t know. They broke with Biden because they didn’t respect him. They didn’t respect Obama. They respect me.

“And let me tell you, Putin went through a hell of a lot with me. He went through a phony witch hunt where they used him and they used Russia. Remember, [in 2016], it was all ‘Russia, Russia, Russia.’ You ever hear of that deal, that was a phony Hunter Biden, Joe Biden scam, with Hillary Clinton and shifty Adam Schiff; it was a Democrat scam, and he had to go through that. And he did go through that. He was accused of all that stuff he had nothing to do with. … And we didn’t end up in a war.

“All I can say is, he might have broken deals with Obama and Bush, and he might have broken them with Biden. Maybe he did. I don’t know what happened, but he didn’t break it with me,” Trump said.

“He wants to make a deal. I don’t know if you can make a deal,” he said, turning again to Zelenskyy. “The problem is, I’ve empowered you to be a tough guy.

“I don’t think he’d be a tough guy without the United States,” Trump said, again to the wider audience in the room.

“Your people are very brave, but you’re either going to make a deal or we’re out, and if we’re out, you have to fight it out,” Trump said. “And I don’t think it’s going to be pretty.

“Again, you don’t have the cards, but once we sign that deal, you’re in a much better position … but you’re not acting at all thankful. And that’s not a nice thing, I’ll be honest,” Trump said.

With that, the president said, “I think we’ve seen enough, what do you think?

“This will make for great television, I will say that,” he added.

After Zelenskyy left the White House, Trump was on his Truth Social platform.

“We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today,” he said. “Much was learned 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. I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE,” the president said. “He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”

A short time later, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., appeared at the microphones set up outside the West Wing to offer his take on what had happened.

“Somebody asked me, am I embarrassed about Trump? I have never been more proud of the president,” Graham said. “I was very proud of JD Vance standing up for our country. We want to be helpful. What I saw in the Oval Office was disrespectful, and I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelenskyy again. … The way he handled the meeting, the way he confronted the president, was just over the top.

“I think the relationship between Ukraine and America is important, vitally important. But can Zelenskyy do a deal with the United States? After what I saw, I don’t know,” the senator continued.

Asked whether he thought Zelenskyy needed to resign, Graham was unequivocable. 

“He either needs to resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change,” the senator said.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue