US military support for Ukraine is dependent on balance, and talks over the minerals trade collapsed after the tragic White House Summit, which warned Donald Trump that he was “gambling with World War I” and warned the Ukrainian president to return “when he is ready for peace.”
Zelensky left the White House early and a press conference announcing the mineral trade was cancelled.
The US president won the Ukrainian president on Friday, debating the controversial mineral resource trade that Trump said was the first step into a ceasefire deal he is trying to mediate between Russia and Ukraine.
However, Friday's meeting regressed after Zelensky suggested that Vance, a skeptic of US support for Ukraine, should come to the country to see the destruction from the invasion, and that Russia was responsible for the continued fighting.
The meeting was scheduled to continue behind closed doors, but shortened after opening up hostilities in the oval office.
Soon after, Trump issued a statement suggesting that the two had not signed a mineral agreement.
“We feel our involvement has a great advantage for him in negotiations, so President Zelensky decided that if America were involved he was not ready for peace,” he said. “I don't want any advantage, I want peace. He downplayed the United States in his precious oval office. He can come back when he is ready for peace.”
During the meeting's public release, Trump and Vance berate Zelensky, and Vance accused him of running a “promotional tour,” and Trump told him: “You're not in a really good position right now.”
At one point, Vance demanded, “Have you ever said thank you?”
Taking the subject, Trump told Zelensky:
Trump then brought the ultimate to Zelensky, saying that Ukraine must be “a trade or we're out.” It suggested that the US could leave negotiations and cut off support for Kiev more than three years after Russia began its full-scale infringement.
“You shouldn't tell us what we're trying to feel. We're trying to solve the problem,” Trump continued. “You're not in a position to direct what we're trying to feel. We feel so good… You don't have a card with us now, you're starting to have problems now.”
Trump also told Zelensky that “Putin went through a lot of hell with me.” “He wants to make a deal,” Trump said. “I don't know if you can make a deal.”
At some point in the exchange, the Ukrainian ambassador in Washington appeared to hold her head in her hand.
“The problem is, I strengthened you being a tough guy. I don't think he'll be a tough guy without America, and your people are very brave,” Trump said. “But you either make a deal or we go out, and if we go out, you'll fight it. I don't think it'll be pretty.”
Trump concluded the meeting by saying that Zelensky wasn't “thank you” but “that's not a good thing.”
“This is going to be a great TV,” he concluded.
Russian officials were happy to respond to the extraordinary scene, with Ukraine's European allies expressing their support for Kiev.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Zelensky got a “solid slap” from Trump for what he called “a brutal dressing in an oval office.”
Kaja Karas, Europe's foreign policy director, said Europe “makes them “continue to fight back against the invaders” as it strengthens its support for Ukraine. In an indirect responsibilities to Trump, she said: “Today, it has become clear that the free world needs a new leader. It is up to Europeans to take this challenge.”
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, praised Zelensky. “Your dignity honors the courage of the people of Ukrainians. She posted on X.
French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters: “Russia is the invaders and Ukraine is the people who were attacked. These are simple things, but they're good to remember from time to time like this.”
In a later interview with Fox News, Zelensky said that Trump and Vance's oval office exchange “isn't good for both parties.” Zelensky was asked to respond to Trump's claim that he had no interest in peace, but he said no one wanted the Three Years War to end the Ukrainians. However, he said Ukraine and Europe needed security guarantees from the US before they could begin peace talks.
Even if he gives orders to stop the fight, Zelensky said, “No one will stop him,” as everyone is afraid of “Putin coming back tomorrow.”
“We want just and lasting peace,” he added.
Despite the tense dialogue, the Ukrainian leader said he hopes that his relationship with Trump will still be recovered and that the mineral trade will move forward.
Before departing for Florida's Mar Lago Resort, Trump told reporters on the South Lawn in the White House that Zelensky is “looking for something I'm not looking for.”
“We're trying to finish it or have him fight it, and if he fights it, it won't be pretty because we can't win without us,” Trump said.
Personal relationships between Trump and Zelensky have been strained since Trump's previous administration. He was not convicted, but was appointed, on the grounds that he had pressured Zelensky to investigate a business deal involving Ukrainian Joe Biden's son Hunter, but was nervous.
However, Friday showed a true low point in relations. This is because Ukraine is desperate for foreign military aid and international support, and for international support to float its country in its shattering defenses from Russian invasions.
New Yorker Susan Glasser described it as “the most shocking action that Trump and Vance have seen in an oval office: an ambush.”
Zelensky arrived in Washington on Friday and claimed that after weeks of tense negotiations, the US pressured him to sign a contract to “repay 10 generations.”
Trump said he hopes the US will be repaid to provide military aid to Ukraine, but commentators suggested the deal would look like a shakedown of Ukraine's most vulnerable moment.
The agreement provides a general framework for a co-investment fund that will generate revenue from the sale of graphite, lithium, rare earth metals, oil and gas deposits in Ukrainian. But many of these resources are in areas close to the forefront, and rarely provide hundreds of millions of dollars the US says they want to regain military aid to Ukraine.
It also does not include any specific security guarantees Ukrainian officials have been seeking during negotiations since the deal was first proposed by Treasury Secretary Scott Becent during his visit to Kiev earlier this month.
During a meeting with British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer on Thursday, Trump had suggested that American workers had been sent to Ukraine's natural resources.
Even if Zelensky arrives at the White House, Trump will try to physically control the Ukrainian leaders, telling reporters that Zelensky, who was wearing a black turtleneck, has been “all dressed up.” Zelenskyy had not appeared in public in suits since the full-scale Russian invasion three years ago, preferring to wear military style clothes instead. Trump has complained about the style of the Ukrainian leader's dress.
Zelenskyy met with US lawmakers early on Friday.
“An important visit to the United States,” he wrote about his meeting with a bipartisan delegation from the US Senate. “Our discussion focuses on the importance of continuing military aid to Ukraine, related legislative initiatives, my meeting with President Trump, efforts to achieve fair and lasting peace, a vision to end the war, and the importance of robust security assurance.”
