The US and Ukraine failed to sign a critical minerals agreement after a Friday meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskiy devolved into a fiery exchange, fracturing relations between the two countries.
Trump took umbrage with Zelenskiy’s doubts that the US president’s efforts to broker a deal with Russia would lead to lasting peace. The Ukrainian leader departed the White House following the public spat, and a planned signing ceremony and press conference were canceled.
US officials said the minerals deal – which Trump had cast as a necessary step to repay American support as he sought to negotiate an end to the war directly with Russia’s Vladimir Putin – was not signed before Zelenskiy’s departure.
“He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace,” Trump said in a social media post shortly before Zelenskiy left the White House.
The clash, played in front of the television cameras, is a major setback for Zelenskiy, who was hoping the in-person meeting with Trump would help smooth out his relations with the American president and commit him to stronger backing for his country following his tilt toward Moscow.
Instead, the vicious tone of the exchange is likely to sow further doubt about Ukraine’s ability to stand up to Russia’s three-year invasion as it struggles with manpower on the battlefield and still relies heavily on US military aid. It’s also likely to alarm European allies, who have already been scrambling to fill the void being left by Washington.
The Ukrainian leader angered Trump and US Vice President JD Vance when he said he did not believe the planned deal would do enough to deter further Russian aggression.
“Putin will never stop and will go further and further,” Zelenskiy said, adding that the Russian leader “hates Ukrainians” and wanted to destroy the country. “We can do it, but it’s not enough,” he added of the deal.
As Zelenskiy sought to make his point, Trump and Vance lit into the beleaguered leader, suggesting his approach – delivered in the Oval Office – was disrespectful and inhibiting an end to the bloody three-year war.
“It’s going to be very hard to do business like this,” Trump said, telling Zelenskiy he was not sure the Ukrainian leader could make a deal. “You’ve got to be more thankful, because let me tell you, you don’t have the cards. With us, you have the cards, but without us you don’t have any cards.”
“You’re gambling with World War III,” Trump continued. “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,” he said. “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 is going to be pretty.”
The meeting had been intended as a moment of unity between the leaders, who were set to sign the natural resources agreement, which was designed to satisfy Trump’s concerns that US aid would not be repaid.
Trump had touted the agreement as a major commitment from the US to Ukraine as he initially welcomed Zelenskiy to the White House for a high-stakes meeting with stark implications for the fight to repel Russia’s invasion.
“It’s a pathway to peace. It’s a pathway to getting something solved,” Trump said.
The deal, however, did not offer the explicit security guarantees Zelenskiy had wanted, instead focusing on the economic partnership between the US and Ukraine.
Zelenskiy told Trump that Putin had repeatedly violated previous agreements and that Ukraine would never accept a simple ceasefire to conclude the war. He insisted to Trump that the mineral deal was not enough to ensure Ukraine’s security.
The underlying tension between the leaders was obvious. Trump had his eyes closed and was tapping his fingers as Zelenskiy stressed his concerns about Putin reneging on an agreement. When Trump downplayed the threat of a future attack, the Ukrainian leader shook his head.
“I’m in the middle. I want to solve this thing. I’m for both,” Trump insisted. “It’s wonderful to speak badly about somebody else, but I want to get it solved.”
Then the meeting exploded when Vance, sitting nearby, criticised Zelenskiy’s approach.
“Do you think that it’s respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that’s trying to prevent the destruction of your country?” Vance asked.
Trump said Zelenskiy had “tremendous hatred” for Putin and suggested that the anger could be inhibiting a deal, while also defending his warm relations with the Russian leader as more likely to yield results.
“I could be tougher than any human being you’ve ever seen. I’d be so tough, but you’re never going to get it done that way,” Trump said.
The leaders also sparred after Zelenskiy suggested Trump did not understand the issue because the US was protected by an ocean, and didn’t face the looming threat from Russia.
“You’re in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel. We’re going to feel very good. We’re going to feel very good and very strong. You’re right now not in a very good position. You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position,” Trump said.
“Have you said thank you once?” Vance added. The vice president went on to suggest Zelenskiy had campaigned for former Vice President Kamala Harris with his trip last fall to an ammunition plant in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
“Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country,” Vance admonished.
After leaving the White House, Zelenskiy in a post to social media thanked Trump, Congress and “the American people.”
“Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that,” he wrote.
The fate of the natural resources deal remained in doubt as the meeting broke.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview on Bloomberg Television that he did not know what Zelenskiy could do to get the agreement back on track, saying he had committed “one of the great diplomatic own goals in history.”
Bessent said it would be up to Trump to decide whether he wants to continue negotiating with Zelenskiy.
“President Trump’s idea was to show that way with the economic deals, to show that we’re more intertwined. And that would be a symbol to the Ukrainian people, to Russian leadership and to the American people and President Zelenskiy blew that up today,” Bessent added. “I’m not sure what he was thinking.”
Speaking from the White House after the meeting, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of the president’s, also sought to lay the blame for the Oval Office blow up on Zelenskiy, saying Trump had been “shocked” by their exchange and questioning whether the US could work with the Ukrainian leader again.
“I don’t know that we can ever do business with Zelenskiy again,” Graham said. “He either needs to resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change.”
The US president on Friday originally called the minerals deal an “exciting moment” and said funds from the deal could also be used for artificial intelligence and military weapons. He reiterated that he would continue military sales to Ukraine.
“We don’t know exactly how much because we’re going to be putting some money in a fund that we’re going to get from the raw earth that we’re going to be taking and sharing in terms of revenues, so it’s going to be a lot of money,” he said.
Still, Trump has downplayed calls for more explicit security guarantees, suggesting the economic ties between Ukraine and the US would suffice to deter Putin from further aggression.
“I think once we make the agreement, that’s going to be 95% of it, it’s not going to go back to fighting,” Trump said. “I’ve spoken with President Putin, and I think, I mean, I feel very strong. I’ve known him for a long time, and I feel very strongly that they’re very serious about it.”
“I’m not worried about security, I’m worried about getting the deal done,” the president added.
Zelenskiy’s visit capped a dramatic week that saw both French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visit Washington to push Trump to offer US support for a European “backstop” to protect Ukraine from further attacks.
France and the UK have discussed deploying a peacekeeping force but any such initiative will require US assistance, but Trump has declined to provide any assurances of US support and cast it as an issue for Europe to deal with. – Bloomberg.
