Home | News | All The Details: Zelenskyy Sees Red as White House Meeting Turns Sour, Pays Visit To UK King Charles

All The Details: Zelenskyy Sees Red as White House Meeting Turns Sour, Pays Visit To UK King Charles

Reactions trail White House chaotic meeting between Ukrainian and US Leaders, Britain affirms support for Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky and President Donald Trump at the White House on February 28, surrounded by the press. (Photo: @ClancyReports)

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By Akerele Christabel

March 3, 2025
3:24 pm
Los Angeles, CA

A White House meeting between the United States’ President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy soon devolved into utter chaos and insults as both parties failed to reach an agreement on an end to yo the Ukraine war and a rare minerals. Consequently, a scheduled news conference had to be canceled and Zelenskyy’s visit cut short. The meeting, which seemed to begin quite amicably, soon birthed tensions after Vance mentioned that it was time for diplomacy after the Biden administration decisions caused the war to drag on indefinitely. Zelenskyy, on the other hand, challenged this perspective, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin had broken other ceasefire agreements, one of which was Putin’s violation of the Minsk ceasefire treaty. A terse back-and-forth soon began between Zelenskyy and

The meeting, which seemed to begin quite amicably, soon birthed tensions after Vance mentioned that it was time for diplomacy after the Biden administration decisions caused the war to drag on indefinitely. Zelenskyy, on the other hand, challenged this perspective, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin had broken other ceasefire agreements, one of which was Putin’s violation of the Minsk ceasefire treaty.

A terse back-and-forth soon began between Zelenskyy and Vance. Vance went on the warpath immediately, saying it was “disrespectful” for Zelenskyy to try to litigate his case before the United States media.

“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.

The situation soon worsened when Zelenskyy claimed the US, which is currently separated from the conflict by an ocean, will feel the effects of the war in the future. President Trump jumped into the fray immediately.

“You don’t know that. You don’t know that. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re gonna feel, because you’re in no position to dictate that. You’re in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel. We’re going to feel very good.” Trump reiterated.

“You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards. Right now, you don’t have your playing cards, your playing cards — you’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. “You’re gambling with World War III. You’re gambling with World War III.” Trump hollered as Zelenskyy continued to interject and disagree.

The meeting came to an abrupt end as the Ukrainian delegation were led away from the Oval Office into a separate room. Moments later, national security adviser, Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asked the delegation to leave. In spite of President Zelenskyy’s efforts to restart conversations, members of the Trump administration remained offended by his behavior.

Rare Minerals Negotiations
Later in the day, high level administration sources said that there were discussions about whether the US will continue its military aid to Ukraine after the Oval Office spat. Another official claimed that Zelenskyy overplayed his cards by trying to lay down terms during the rare minerals negotiations.

An Ukrainian official mentioned that signing an agreement came off the hopes that the US continues its military support to the embattled nation. On the other hand, Trump sees the deal as a way of compensating American taxpayers for supporting Ukraine over the past 36 months of an unevenly-matched war. The US administration refused to shift grounds on an economic partnership as a crucial condition for continuing military support.

Earlier in the week, Trump said the U.S. had reached a deal with Zelenskyy on a broad framework for sharing Ukraine’s mineral resources. He also added that the Ukrainian president was coming to the White House because he would like to sign the deal.

America Reacts
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform after the meeting, in what seemed to be a criticism of Zelenskyy.

“We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today. 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 continued his tirade at Zelenskyy as he spoke to a US media outlet.

“He’s gotta say, ‘I wanna make peace. He doesn’t have to stand there and say about, ‘Putin this, Putin that.’ All negative things. He’s gotta say, ‘I wanna make peace. I don’t want to fight a war any longer.’ His people are dying. He doesn’t have the cards just so you understand it, okay?”

White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, also joined the beatdown on Zelenskyy when she accused the Ukrainian leader of not acknowledging the realities of the war and lacking gratitude for American aid.

“President Zelensky failed to recognize that he’s walking into the Oval Office with a new sheriff in town, and that sheriff is Donald Trump… (Trump) understands that the American people are sick and tired of footing the bill for this war to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars,” she said.

“It would have recouped the hundreds of billions of dollars that we funded towards this war. And it would have been good for the Ukrainian people as well,” Leavitt added.

“We are no longer going to just write blank checks to a war very far away without real lasting peace. And that’s what the president wants,”. She told Fox news.

US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, insists that Zelenskyy apologizes for turning the meeting into a “fiasco”. When asked why he thinks Zelenskyy should apologize, Rubio said,

“Well, apologize for turning this thing into the fiasco for him that it became. There was no need for him to go in there and become antagonistic. Look, this thing went off the rails. You were there, I believe. It went off the rails when he said: Let me ask you a question – to the Vice President – what kind of diplomacy are you talking about? Well, these – this is a serious thing. I mean, thousands of people have been killed – thousands – and he talks about all these horrible things that have happened to prisoners of war and children. All true, all bad. This is what we’re dealing with here. It needs to come to an end. We are trying to bring it to an end.”

On the Ukrainian end of the uproar, Zelensky firmly rejected the idea of stepping down after his tense Oval Office meeting with Trump, saying the decision can only be made by the people of Ukraine. Although earlier in the week, Zelenskyy said he would give up the presidency if doing so would achieve lasting peace for Ukraine and membership in NATO.

“If to achieve peace, you really need me to give up my post, I’m ready,” Zelenskyy said at a forum marking the three-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

While admitting regrets over the meeting’s outcome, he emphasized Ukraine’s willingness to sign a deal with the US, but only with security guarantees.

When asked if he owed Trump an apology, Zelensky replied, “No, I respect the president and the American people, but I don’t think we did anything wrong.”

Observers believe Kyiv will try to restart negotiations, this time more subdued and agreeable as it becomes clear that US support is essential to the survival of the nation whether the war ends or not. It is not likely that Trump gives up that easily on ending the Ukraine war, having made it one of his campaign policies.

UK Pledges “Unwavering Support” for Ukraine
On Saturday night, Zelenskyy met with Prime minister Keir Starmer who had promised to back Ukraine during the White House meeting on Friday. Starmer had earlier invited Zelenskyy to a second state visit to the United Kingdom, a visit that included a meeting with King Charles and other European leaders.

The visit was a show of sympathy for Zelenskyy, a position made more apparent when the prime minister chose to walk along the pavement to greet him. The two men then embraced before the prime minister gestured towards the crowds who came to cheer Ukraine’s President.

Starmer told his guest that the cheering outside was “the people of the United Kingdom coming out to demonstrate how much they support you, how much they support Ukraine”.

Starmer maintained that he had “absolute determination … to achieve what we both want to achieve, which is a lasting peace – a lasting peace for Ukraine based on sovereignty and security for Ukraine, so important for Ukraine, so important for Europe and so important for the United Kingdom”.

Zelenskyy replied: “We count on your support, and we’re really happy that we have such partners and such friends.”

Since Friday night, reports have begun to trickle out that the UK plans to unlock billions of pounds of frozen Russian assets to Ukraine in a further show of solidarity. This would mark the first instance that money from frozen Russian assets would contribute towards military spending.

The UK hopes to use the meeting with European leaders to drum up continental support for Ukraine, while maintaining the strength of NATO that may have been depleted by US reduced involvement.