Zelensky declines to apologise to Trump after Oval Office clash

Volodymyr Zelensky has left the White House without signing a crucial minerals deal that was key to a peace settlement after Donald Trump and JD Vance accused him of disrespect in an explosive public row | WATCH

Donald Trump ordered Volodymyr Zelensky and his team to leave the White House on Friday (local time) telling the Ukraine President he was “not ready” for peace with Russia after an explosive verbal fight erupted between the two leaders in the Oval Office.

In incredible scenes that played out before the world’s media, the US President accused the Ukrainian leader of being “disrespectful” and reminded him that “you don’t have the cards” in any peace negotiations.

Mr Zelensky bit back, saying he was “not playing cards” as the two leaders began to speak over the top of one another in a complete breakdown of relations between the two nations.

The Ukraine President left the White House shortly afterward without signing the crucial minerals deal the White House had promoted as key to a peace deal.

Mr Trump posted on social media: “He can come back when he is ready for peace.”

The row will deal a huge blow to Mr Trump’s audacious plan to broker a peace settlement to end the war in Eastern Europe, with the White House cancelling a planned joint press conference scheduled for later in the day.

During the meeting, Mr Trump told the Ukrainian President that he was “in no position to dictate” how America should feel or respond to the war.

Raising his voice, Mr Trump also warned Mr Zelensky that he was “gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War Three.”

Vice President JD Vance accused Mr Zelensky of being ungrateful for American support, asking him at one stage: “Have you said thank you once in this entire meeting?”

At another point, Mr Trump said that it was “going to be a very hard thing to do business like this.”

The US President later issued a statement saying that “much was learned that could never be understood without conversation under such fire and pressure.”

Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky during their unprecedented row in the Oval Office. Picture: AFP.

In the statement. Mr Trump said that he had determined that President Zelensky was “not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations.”

“I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE,” Mr Trump said. “He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”

Zelensky said later that he was ready to pursue peace negotiations but said that Ukraine would need Western-backed security guarantees for any agreement to hold, assurances Trump has been reluctant to provide.

“We are ready for peace, but we have to be in a strong position,” Zelensky said in an interview on Fox News.

Earlier, he sought to reassure Americans – and Trump – that he appreciated their support in a social media post. “Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit,” he wrote on X. “Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.”

Fox News host Bret Baier asked three times whether Zelensky was prepared to apologise to the US President. He said: “I’m not hearing from you, Mr President, a thought that you owe the President an apology?”

“No,” Zelensky responded. “I respect [the] president. And I respect American people. I’m not sure that we did something bad.”

Zelensky said he was confident that his personal hostilities with Trump could be salvaged. “It’s the historical relations, strong relations, between our people,” he said

Tense exchange

The tense exchange started when Mr Vance took aim at the previous administration for talking tough about the Russian regime of Vladimir Putin, but failing to prevent the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Mr Vance said the “path to peace and prosperity is maybe engaging in diplomacy. We tried the pathway of Joe Biden, of thumping our chest and pretending that the President of the United States’ words mattered more than the President of the United States’ actions.”

The Ukrainian leader responded by saying that Mr Putin had taken parts of Ukraine in 2014 and that “nobody stopped him. He just occupied and took. He killed people.”

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky in their heated exchange in the Oval Office. Picture: AFP.

Mr Zelensky said that between 2014 and 2022 people had been dying along the conflict line in his nation and that Ukraine had found Mr Putin to be untrustworthy and did not honour the 2019 ceasefire agreement.

He recalled how French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had reassured him about the December 2019 agreement – only for Russia to later break the deal.

“Me, like a new President, back in 2019 I signed with him (Putin) the deal. I signed with him (Putin), Macron and Merkel. We signed ceasefire,” he said. “We signed with him the gas contract. Yes. But, after that, he broke this ceasefire. He killed our people and he didn’t exchange prisoners. We signed the exchange of prisoners – but he didn’t do it.”

Looking at Mr Vance, the Ukrainian President asked: “What kind of diplomacy JD are you speaking about? What do you mean?”

The question ignited nearly ten minutes of fierce and heated debate which at times descended into a shouting match before the media cameras.

Mr Vance replied to the question: “I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country.”

‘Disrespectful’

The Vice President also accused the Ukrainian leader of showing disrespect, declaring that he believed it was “disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office (and) try to litigate this in front of the American media.”

“Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the President for trying to bring an end to this conflict.”

Mr Zelensky quickly responded, asking the Vice President whether he had ever been to Ukraine to witness the problems there.

Mr Vance said he had “watched and seen the stories” and accused Mr Zelensky of coming to the Oval Office to “attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country.”

Mr Zelensky said that, even though there was a “nice ocean” separating Europe from America, the conflict in Ukraine would eventually be felt in the US as well – a remark that prompted an intervention from Mr Trump.

“You don’t know that,” Mr Trump said. “Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. Because you’re in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel.”

Mr Zelensky interjected several times to insist that America would “feel influence” to which Mr Trump replied that “you are right now not in a very good position. You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position.”

The two leaders then began to speak over one another. Mr Trump, speaking more loudly, said that “you don’t have the cards right now.”

Mr Zelensky replied: “I’m not playing cards.”

Mr Trump then accused the Ukrainian leader of gambling with millions of lives and World War Three and said: “What you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country – this country.”

Mr Vance accused Mr Zelensky of interfering in the US election, saying that he went to Pennsylvania and “campaigned for the opposition in October. Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the President who is trying to save your country.”

Mr Zelensky declined. “Please,” he said. “You think that if you speak very loudly about the war you … “

At this point he was interrupted by Mr Trump who said the Vice President was “not speaking loudly.”

“Your country is in big trouble,” he said. “You’re not winning this. You have a damn good chance of coming out ok because of us.”

The two leaders then again started speaking over one another, with Mr Trump railing at what he said was the $350bn spent on the war by Mr Biden – arguing that Ukraine would have lost the war in three weeks if not for American support.

“It’s going to be a very hard thing to do business like this,” he said.

Mr Vance said they should go and litigate their disagreements in private rather than “trying to fight it out in front of the American media when you’re wrong. We know that you’re wrong.”

Mr Trump then said it was “good for the American people to see what’s going on. I think it’s very important. That’s why I kept this going so long.”

Speaking to Me Zelensky he said: “You have to be thankful. You don’t have the cards.”

He added: “Then you tell us, ‘I don’t want a ceasefire.’ I don’t want a ceasefire.’ … Look, if you can get a ceasefire right now, I tell you, you take it so the bullets stop firing and your men stop getting killed.”

Mr Zelensky said he would ask the Ukrainian people about a ceasefire and “see what they think.”

After the argument subsided, Mr Trump went on to take questions from the assembled press. Asked what would happen if Russia went on to break a ceasefire agreement, Mr Trump replied: “What if a bomb drops on your head right now?”

He then appeared to defend Mr Putin, saying that the Russian leader “went through a hell of a lot with me.”

“He went through a phony witch-hunt where they used him and Russia – Russia, Russia, Russia – you ever hear of that deal? You ever hear of that deal?” he asked. “It was a Democratic scam. And he (Putin) had to go through that. And he did go through that.”

Earlier, Mr Trump said that he had to align himself with both Mr Zelensky and Mr Putin to try and negotiate a deal to end the war.

“You want me to say really terrible things about Putin and then say, ‘hi, Vladimir. How are we doing on the deal?’ That doesn’t work that way,” he said. “I’m not aligned with Putin. I’m not aligned with anybody. I’m aligned with the United States of America, and for the good of the world. I’m aligned with the world.”

‘Knife in the back’

Ukrainian MP Inna Sovsen has called for calm while claiming the United States had “knifed” the country in the back.

“This isn’t the worst we’ve faced — though, like any knife in the back, it stings the most when unexpected,’’ she tweeted immediately after the brutal verbal exchange in the White House.

Ms Sovsen added: “But we know what we’re fighting for. And we know exactly who the real enemy is.”

Keep calm.

This isn’t the worst we’ve faced—though, like any knife in the back, it stings the most when unexpected.

But we know what we’re fighting for. And we know exactly who the real enemy is.

— Inna Sovsun (@InnaSovsun) February 28, 2025

The geopolitical upheaval which appears to have emerged in the increasingly angry and bitter Oval Office contretemps, has put pressure on European leaders to tread the finest of diplomatic lines. European leaders will want to support Ukraine, but without upsetting Mr Trump and his threats of fierce tariffs.

Eighteen European leaders are to meet in London on Sunday to formulate a defensive plan to support Ukraine in any ceasefire deal, but in the coming hours, several phone calls will be flying between various allies to formulate positions and buy some time.

When cooler heads prevail, Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky may yet still sign a deal, a position Ms Sovsen supports.

“(Trump) was very offensive towards our president, he didn’t deserve these accusations which were made against him and the country. It was unfair,’’ she told Channel 4 news.

“We are very grateful to the Americans, but gratefulness doesn’t extend to accepting an agreement which means nothing to us. this is the reality, we are the victim of an attack and taken down: we don’t see Trump talking in the same way to Russia who are the aggressors here.”

She added: “We have to keep heads calm and cool, we are all part of same western civilisation, liberal values and democracy which is everything Putin hates. We have to keep on talking, and the critical element is how the Europeans react.”

French president Emmanuel Macron said: “Russia is the aggressor, and Ukraine is the aggressed people. I think we were all right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago, and to continue to do so.”

Keep calm.

This isn’t the worst we’ve faced—though, like any knife in the back, it stings the most when unexpected.

But we know what we’re fighting for. And we know exactly who the real enemy is.

— Inna Sovsun (@InnaSovsun) February 28, 2025

The first European leader to react was Polish president Donald Tusk. He tweeted: “Dear

@ZelenskyyUa dear Ukrainian friends, you are not alone”.

In Britain one of the first politicians to respond was not the prime minister Keir Starmer, who was “love bombed” by Mr Trump on Friday after extending King Charles’ invitation for a state visit and who appeared to have negotiated a favourable trade deal based around new technologies and artificial intelligence.

Instead Robert Jenrick, the Tory MP and shadow Shadow Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice tweeted: “I’m sickened by that degrading spectacle. And to think the bust of Winston Churchill was in the same room as it unfolded. He would be turning in his grave if he saw that happen.”

Mr Jenrick said “Ukraine’s people, led by President Zelensky, have fought bravely to hold off Putin over the last three years with US and European support. Zelensky has shown sincere gratitude for the support offered by his partners. We salute him and the courageous Ukrainians as they fight for freedom against Russian imperialism.”

He then added: “Countries can and do disagree, but the West must show a united front to our enemies.”