Volodymyr Zelensky thanks Anthony Albanese after being called on to apologise to Donald Trump
Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Anthony Albanese among other world leaders for their support, after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for him to apologise to Donald Trump. See the video.
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to apologise for his clash with President Donald Trump in the White House.
Mr Zelensky should “apologise for wasting our time for a meeting that was going to end the way it did,” Mr Rubio said on CNN after Oval Office talks devolved into argument.
Mr Rubio also questioned whether Mr Zelensky wanted Russia’s invasion to end.
“You start to perceive that maybe Zelensky doesn’t want a peace deal. He says he does, but maybe he doesn’t, and that active, open, undermining of efforts to bring about peace is deeply frustrating for everyone who’s been involved,” the top US diplomat said.
Mr Zelensky rejected Mr Rubio’s demand for him to apologise, and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham’s call for him to consider standing down.
Mr Trump and Zelensky’s relationship has imploded in a shouting match that saw the Ukrainian President booted from the White House and heightened fears the US would abandon its ally in its war against Russia.
The showdown stunned world leaders, and Mr Zelensky has been thanking many of them for their support on X, where he also received support from Australian PM Anthony Albanese.
“Thank you for your support,” Mr Zelensky wrote after Mr Albanese tweeted: “For three years Australia has proudly supported the brave people of Ukraine in their struggle to defend their sovereignty against the brutality of Russian aggression and in support of international law.Australia stands with Ukraine.”
Thank you for your support. https://t.co/1NQHAcowvh
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир ЗеленÑький (@ZelenskyyUa) March 1, 2025
The pair’s first meeting since the US President returned to power descended into a stunning slanging match unlike anything ever seen in the Oval Office, with Mr Trump and Vice President JD Vance complaining Mr Zelensky was not thankful enough for America’s aid.
In the wake of the fiery confrontation, which was broadcast live on TV, Mr Trump cancelled the remainder of the wartime leader’s visit. He said he could “come back when he is ready for peace”, claiming only Russian President Vladimir Putin was prepared to end the war.
World leaders including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rallied behind Mr Zelensky as he faced the prospect of Mr Trump withholding a US security guarantee to prevent the Kremlin breaking any peace deal and doubling down on its illegal invasion.
Mr Zelensky, speaking on Fox News after the extraordinary clash, said he was thankful for America’s support in the three-year war but added: “I’m not sure that we did something bad”.
He and Mr Trump had spoken relatively politely for about half an hour in the meeting that was designed to reset relations after the US President called him a dictator and tried to strongarm him into signing away Ukraine’s critical minerals to repay the US for its support.
But the talks collapsed when Mr Vance praised Mr Trump for “engaging in diplomacy” to find a pathway to peace, prompting Mr Zelensky to interject and remind them that world leaders including the US President failed to curb Russia’s aggression before its full-scale invasion.
Mr Vance called him “disrespectful” and asked him: “Have you said ‘thank you’ once?”
“You’re right now not really in a very good position. You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position,” Mr Trump chimed in.
“You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards.”
Mr Zelensky replied: “I’m not playing cards.” The US President then accused him of “gambling with the lives of millions of people” and “gambling with World War III”.
“You’re either going to make a deal or we’re out,” Mr Trump added. “And if we’re out, you’ll fight it out and I don’t think it’s going to be pretty.”
Moments after the meltdown, which the US President said would make “great television”, his officials told Mr Zelensky and his team to leave the White House. They cancelled a press conference and scrapped plans to sign a deal sharing Ukraine’s critical minerals with the US.
Mr Trump accused the Ukrainian President of having “disrespected the United States of America”. He claimed he “very much overplayed his hand” and wanted to “fight, fight, fight”.
“I want immediate peace. President Putin … he wants to end it. You saw what I saw today: this is a man that wants to get us signed up and keep fighting, and we’re not doing that,” he said.
Mr Zelensky told Fox News: “We are ready for peace but we have to be in a strong position.”
“Just a ceasefire without security guarantees, it’s so sensitive for our people … Everybody is afraid that Putin will come back tomorrow. We want just and lasting peace,” he said.
Asked if his relationship with Mr Trump could be mended, the Ukrainian President said “of course”, but he added that he did not know if the extraordinary argument was an ambush.
The New York Post later reported Mr Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg had urged Mr Zelensky to sign the now-deferred critical minerals deal in Ukraine last week but that his chief of staff had instead insisted on locking it in during a visit to the White House.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was among the world leaders to defend Mr Zelensky, telling him: “Your dignity honours the bravery of the Ukrainian people.”
“Be strong, be brave, be fearless. You are never alone, dear President,” she said.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who had lobbied Mr Trump for a US backstop in any European-led peace agreement, maintained Russia was the aggressor and Ukraine was the victim “fighting for their dignity, their independence, their children, and the security of Europe.
Ealrlier, Mr Albanese said Australia would stand with Ukraine “for as long as it takes” in the face of Mr Putin’s “imperialistic designs” on eastern Europe.
“I am responsible for Australia’s foreign policy, and Australia’s foreign policy is determined by Australia, and we stand unequivocally with Ukraine in their struggle because we regard that as a struggle for the upholding of international law,” he said.
As Russia celebrated the shocking split between allies, Trump administration officials suggested all US military aid to Ukraine could be cancelled immediately.
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Originally published as Volodymyr Zelensky thanks Anthony Albanese after being called on to apologise to Donald Trump
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