Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky cut his visit to the White House short after a spat in the Oval Office led President Trump to call off negotiations.
Trump and Zelensky were slated to hold a press conference in the East Room of the White House after a bilateral lunch meeting in the Cabinet Room. But when their first meeting of the day in the Oval Office turned contentious, the Ukrainian leader departed.
Trump called off negotiations with Zelensky in a post on Truth Social, in which he said the Ukrainian president is not ready for a peace deal.
“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 said. “He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
The meeting in the Oval Office devolved into a heated argument, in an extraordinary turn of events, during which Trump called the Ukrainian president “disrespectful” and Vice President Vance accused him of not being grateful enough for the president’s help.
Friday’s meeting was initially focused on an agreement for the U.S. to access critical minerals in Ukraine.
Monday marked three years since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which Trump has insisted wouldn’t have occurred if he was president and that he can bring a peace deal to quickly end it.
