President Donald Trump delivered a fiery rebuke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a tense Oval Office meeting on Friday, questioning Ukraine’s position in peace talks with Russia.
When asked by a reporter about the possibility of Russia breaking a ceasefire, Trump dismissed the concern, saying, “What if the bomb drops on your head right now?”.
“OK, what if they broke it? I don’t know, they broke it with Biden because Biden, they didn’t respect him. They didn’t respect Obama. They respect me.” Trump claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin “went through a hell of a lot” but “didn’t break deals” with him.
The confrontation escalated as Trump accused Zelenskyy of being ungrateful for American aid. “The problem is I’ve empowered you to be a tough guy, and I don’t think you’d be a tough guy without the United States,” Trump said. “Your people are very brave. But you’re either going 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. But you don’t have the cards.”
Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington was intended to finalise a deal granting the US access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, a move that Trump said would bring Ukraine closer to ending the war. However, tensions boiled over, and the meeting ended abruptly.
Trump accused Zelenskyy of being “disrespectful” and warned him against making demands. “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,” Trump said.
The final ten minutes of the meeting saw a heated exchange between Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Zelenskyy, who argued that Russia had repeatedly violated ceasefire agreements and could not be trusted. “Putin has broken his own signature 25 times,” Zelenskyy said. Trump, however, dismissed these concerns, insisting Putin had not broken agreements with him.
At one point, Trump criticised Zelenskyy’s hostility toward Putin, saying, “You see the hatred he’s got for Putin. That’s very tough for me to make a deal with that kind of hate.” He later told reporters that an “immediate ceasefire” was necessary but expressed doubts that Zelenskyy was willing to negotiate.
Following the meeting, Trump posted on social media, claiming Zelenskyy “is not ready for peace” and had “disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office.”