In a tense Oval Office meeting, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a heated exchange over Ukraine’s war effort and U.S. support. Vance took an aggressive stance and chastised Zelenskyy for his lack of gratitude.
Trump joined in, growing visibly frustrated when Zelenskyy suggested that the U.S. would eventually feel the war’s impact. Trump snapped, “Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel,” before escalating further, accusing Zelenskyy of recklessly gambling with World War III. Vance pressed the issue of gratitude, questioning whether Zelenskyy had truly expressed thanks for U.S. aid.
“Your country is in big trouble,” Trump said.
“Can I have a minute?” Zelenskyy interjected.
“No. No. You've done a lot of talking,” Trump insisted. “Your country is in big trouble.”
“I know,” Zelenskyy conceded.
“You're not winning. You're not winning this. You have a damn good chance of coming out okay because of us,” Trump continued.
“Mr. President, we are staying in our country, staying strong. From the very beginning of the war, we've been alone, and we are thankful. I said thanks in this cabinet—” Zelenskyy started.
“You haven't been alone,” Trump interrupted. “You haven't been alone. We gave you, through this stupid president [Joe Biden], $350 billion. We gave you military equipment, and your men are brave, but they had to use our milit— if you didn't have our military equipment, if you didn't have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks.”
.@POTUS: "Your country is in big trouble. You're not winning ... You have a damn good chance of coming out okay because of us."
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 28, 2025
"You haven't been alone. We gave you, through [our] stupid president, $350 billion. We gave you military equipment ... If you didn't have our military… pic.twitter.com/MFU600Enlt
To say that such an exchange was unusual is an understatement. Oval Office meetings are often staged for the media. Joe Biden often read from a script during such meetings, but this was no scripted affair. Trump seemed to think that the tense exchange was good for people to see as he called Zelenskyy out for not being committed to ending the hostilities.
“I think it's 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,” Trump said. “You have to be thankful. You don't have the cards. You're buried there. People are dying. You’re running low on soldiers.”
Related: Trump Blows up at Zelenskyy in Fiery Oval Office Meeting, Boots Him From White House
“It would be a damn good thing — and then you tell us, ‘I don't want a ceasefire. I don't want a ceasefire. I want to go, and I wanted this.’ Look, if you could get a ceasefire right now, I'd tell you ‘you take it,’ so the bullets stop flying and your men stop getting killed.”
Zelenskyy responded, “Of course. Of course, we want to stop the war.”
But Trump wasn’t convinced. “But you’re saying you don’t want a ceasefire,” he countered.
Zelenskyy quickly tried to clarify, “But I said to you, I want—” before Trump cut him off, emphasizing that a ceasefire could come faster than expected.
When Zelenskyy suggested asking the Ukrainian people what they thought of a ceasefire, Trump dismissed past diplomatic efforts under the Biden administration. “That wasn’t with me. That was with a guy named Biden who was not a smart person,” he said. “That was with Obama.”
Zelenskyy pushed back, “It was your president.”
Trump swiftly corrected him. “Excuse me, that was with Obama, who gave you sheets. And I gave you Javelins,” he said, referring to the anti-tank missiles his administration supplied to Ukraine. “Yes, I gave you the Javelins to take out all those tanks. Obama gave you sheets.”
Pressing Zelenskyy further, Trump reiterated the importance of American support.
“You got to be more thankful because, let me tell you, you don’t have the cards,” he said. “With us, you have the cards. But without us, you don’t have any cards.”
This is what it looks like when you have a President and Vice President who stand up for America. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/9jKhCxkOgN
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 28, 2025
The tense Oval Office meeting ended with the White House canceling the Trump-Zelenskyy joint press conference that had been planned. Zelenskyy reportedly left early, and, according to NBC News, it’s “not immediately clear whether Zelenskyy decided to leave early or whether Trump asked for him to depart.”
In a statement released after the meeting, Trump said that Zelenskyy is not serious about a peace agreement to end the war and suggested he return when he’s ready to make such an agreement.
“We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. '“Much was learned that could never be understood without conversation under such fire and pressure. 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. I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
Trump is committed to ending this war and won’t let Zelenskyy use him to prolong it. The mainstream media will no doubt find a way to spin this Oval Office meeting in a negative way. But we're here to tell you the objective truth that you won't get from the mainstream media. If you support our work, we can continue to bring you the truth. Join PJ Media VIP and use the promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership!
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