High-stakes diplomatic negotiations almost never play out in view of the public. During Friday’s charged White House meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Trump, that is precisely what happened.
Nothing about the meeting went according to plan.
What should have been a friendly press gaggle in the Oval Office between Zelensky and Trump devolved into an emotionally charged dispute over security guarantees for Ukraine and America’s support for the embattled country.
The Trump team thought they had a deal for US investment in Ukraine’s rare-earth minerals ready to sign. All that was required was a friendly lunch, a signing ceremony and a joint press conference to affirm the agreement.
Trump was optimistic the day before when he sat down with Britain’s Keir Starmer, who appeared to welcome the arrangement. Trump was likewise positive on a deal earlier in the week when he met with France’s Emmanuel Macron.
Both leaders demonstrated this week that they have learned how to communicate with Trump — unlike Zelensky, who spoke more to his audience at home than to the American public, for whom Trump promised to bring an end to the war.
Zelensky opted to negotiate through the media, in real time, with Trump, JD Vance, and Marco Rubio sitting right beside him. His arms folded across his chest, Zelensky repeated his need for hard security guarantees — NATO-grade promises — before he would agree to a ceasefire.
Hard bargaining like this happens all the time in high-stakes negotiations.
Typically, it occurs behind closed doors, not live on camera in the Oval Office.
Trump visibly bristled. As a negotiator, he thrives on being the one who closes the deal, not the one who haggles in front of cameras.
He believes the Kremlin would not dare cross him and break a ceasefire. “They broke it with Biden. They broke it with Obama,” he snapped at Zelensky. “They respect me.”
Vance was quick to point out an uncomfortable fact, highlighting Ukraine’s manpower crunch. When he stressed that Ukraine has a shrinking manpower pool to replace its losses, Zelensky shot back, “Have you been to Ukraine?”
Zelensky saw his need to stress that Ukraine has been “fighting alone.” Trump saw disrespect.
Both were playing hardball, but they were playing different games.
Trump attempted to convey that he has offered Ukraine a lifeline — American investment as a shield. Zelensky sees this as a half-measure at best.
What should have been an easy win for both sides ended with a deep freeze in relations.
The White House canceled its lunch with Zelensky and the signing ceremony. Ukraine’s president immediately departed the White House without Trump to wish him off.
Trump shut the deal down. “I have determined that President Zelensky is not ready for Peace if America is involved,” he posted on Truth Social. “He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
The minerals deal is officially dead for now. Perhaps also negotiations with Ukraine.
This will be a major test for Zelensky. Trump’s deal was a clever diplomatic hack. By turning profit into purpose, it was a means to keep America vested in Ukraine without the typical complexity of treaties.
Zelensky’s push for more blew it up, and now both sides are worse off.
So how does Zelensky reset?
Vance, amid the fireworks, dropped a clue.
He noted that Zelensky has not once offered “thanks” for the billions America has poured into his fight for survival — not as a means of flattering Trump, but as a nod to the American taxpayers who foot the bill.
That is perhaps the best thread for Zelensky to pull: Walk back the hard bargaining and offer an air of gratitude. A pivot from demands to partnership and a signal that he is ready to deal.
It does not require groveling. Americans need to know that he cares about their help and is thankful for it.
He said as much during the Biden-Harris Administration. He should repeat that thanks when speaking with Trump.
And Trump should be gracious in accepting it.
A walk-back is perhaps the only way to get the peace negotiations back on track.
Peter Doran is an adjunct senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
