President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky engaged in a heated argument during an Oval Office press conference on Friday.
Trump and Vance accused Zelensky of being disrespectful and ungrateful after heavy American support for Ukraine’s defense against the Russian invasion.
Zelensky came to the White House for a meeting with Trump at which the two leaders were expected to sign a highly touted deal for U.S. mineral rights in Ukraine as repayment for part of Kyiv’s war debt.
Trump began the meeting with a feisty response to a reporter who accused him of being more “aligned” with Russian President Vladimir Putin than Zelensky.
“Well, if I didn’t ‘align’ myself with both of them, you’d never have a deal,” Trump replied. “You want me to say really terrible things about Putin and then say, ‘Hi, Vladimir, how are we doing on the peace deal?’ It doesn’t work that way. 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, and I want to get this thing over with.”
Trump then observed that Zelensky, who was sitting beside him, harbored “tremendous hatred” for Putin, and this made it difficult to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war.
“I can understand that, but I can tell you the other side isn’t exactly in love with him either,” Trump said, indicating Zelensky.
Vance then stepped in to criticize the Biden administration.
“For four years in the United States of America, we had a president who stood up at press conferences and talked tough about Vladimir Putin – and then Putin invaded Ukraine and destroyed a significant chunk of the country,” Vance said.
“The path to peace, and the path to prosperity, is maybe engaging in diplomacy,” he said. “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.”
“What makes America a good country is America engaging in diplomacy. That’s what President Trump is doing,” he said.
Zelensky responded by criticizing European governments and previous U.S. administrations – including Trump in his first term, although he cushioned that blow by saying he was grateful to have Trump on the diplomacy beat today – for failing to stop Putin after he annexed and occupied Crimea in 2014.
“People have been dying on the combat line,” Zelensky said. “Nobody stopped him. We had conversations with him – a lot of conversations, multilateral conversations.”
Zelensky said this culminated in a 2019 push for a ceasefire led by Europe, but Putin violated the deal, failed to engage in a promised exchange of prisoners, and resumed killing Ukrainians.
“What kind of diplomacy, JD? What do you mean?” Zelensky asked Vance, implying that negotiations with the treacherous Putin were fruitless.
“I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country,” Vance replied.
When Zelensky dismissed this idea with folded arms and tried to talk over him, Vance said it was “disrespectful for you to come into 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,” Vance told Zelensky. “You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict.”
“What does it mean for Ukraine, for you to say what problems we have?” Zelensky asked sullenly.
When the Ukrainian president sought to dispute Vance’s characterization of conscription problems, the vice president became more confrontational.
“Do you think that it’s respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?” Vance asked.
“During a war, everybody has problems,” Zelensky responded. “Even you, but you have nice oceans and don’t feel [threatened] now – but you will feel it in the future. God bless, you are not at war.”
“Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel,” Trump interrupted. “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 that.”
Trump and Zelensky talked over each other for a few moments, and then Trump said, “You’re not in a very good position. You’ve allowed yourself in a very bad position … You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards.”
“We’re not playing cards,” Zelensky interjected angrily.
“Right now, you’re playing cards,” Trump shot back. “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War 3. And what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country – this country – that’s backed you far more than a lot of people said they should have.”
“Have you said ‘thank you’ once?” Vance asked.
“A lot of times,” Zelensky insisted.
“No, in this entire meeting,” Vance said. “You 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’s trying to save your country.”
“Please,” Zelensky said when Vance finished. “You think if you will speak very loudly about the war, you can…”
“He’s not speaking loudly,” Trump cut Zelensky off. “You’re country’s in big trouble.”
When Zelensky tried to argue, Trump said, “No, no, you’ve done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble. You’re not winning.”
“I know,” said a visibly angry Zelensky.
“You’re not winning this. You have a damn good chance of coming out okay because of us,” Trump said.
“Mr. President, we are saying in our country, staying strong – from the very beginning of the war, we have been alone, and we are thankful. I said thanks in this cabinet,” Zelensky said.
Trump cut him off again, taking exception to Zelensky’s claim that Ukraine stood alone and complaining that his “stupid” predecessor, Joe Biden, “gave you $350 billion.”
“We gave you military equipment, and your men are brave, but they had to use our military equipment. If you didn’t have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks,” Trump declared.
Zelensky scoffed at this notion. “In three days, I heard it from Putin,” he said sarcastically. “In three days, in two weeks, of course, yes.”
“It’s going to be very hard to do business like this,” Trump said.
Vance concluded the battle by once again asking Zelensky to express his gratitude and chastising him for airing his differences with the Trump administration in the media instead of working things out in a proper venue.
“Accept that there are disagreements, and let’s go litigate those disagreements rather than trying to fight it out in the American media when you’re wrong. We know that you’re wrong,” Vance said.
Trump remarked that it was “good for the American people to see what’s going on,” a sentiment Zelensky and Vance seemed to agree with, although Zelensky found Trump’s subsequent comments patronizing.
“I think it’s very important. That’s why I kept this going so long,” Trump said. “You have to be thankful. You don’t have the cards. You’re buried there. Your people are dying. You’re running low on soldiers. Then you tell us, ‘I don’t want a ceasefire. I don’t want a ceasefire.’”
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