2025 Trump–Zelenskyy Oval Office Meeting

On February 28, 2025, Donald Trump, the president of the United States, JD Vance, the vice president of the United States, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, held a highly contentious bilateral meeting televised live in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C. It was to discuss continued U.S. support for Ukraine in repelling the ongoing Russian invasion of the country, and was expected to conclude with the signing of the Ukraine–United States Mineral Resources Agreement; but the meeting ended abruptly without a clear resolution. During the last ten minutes of the discussion, Trump and Vance repeatedly criticized Zelenskyy, at times drowning out his voice. Media outlets described it as an unprecedented public confrontation between an American president and a foreign head of state.

Leading up to the meeting, there were tensions between the Trump administration and Zelenskyy's government. Trump wanted Ukraine to agree on a ceasefire with Russia in order to immediately halt hostilities and work towards a comprehensive peace deal. He had implied Ukraine was to blame for the Russian invasion, and called Zelenskyy a "dictator" (a statement he had later retracted). Zelenskyy wanted strong security guarantees against future Russian aggression before committing to a ceasefire. He believed that without these, Russia's president Vladimir Putin would break any agreement, as he had before.

The meeting was widely criticized for its fiery, confrontational, and antagonistic tone. Nearly all U.S. allies, along with other global figures, swiftly voiced their support for Zelenskyy following the confrontation, with many issuing statements that appeared to rebuke Trump's confrontational approach. In contrast, Russian officials praised the outcome of the meeting and directed criticism toward Zelenskyy while Russian media expressed shock. In the United States, reactions were largely divided along party lines.

In the aftermath of the meeting, the Trump administration suspended provision of intelligence and military aid to Ukraine for around a week. The provision of aid to Ukraine was resumed after Zelenskyy agreed to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, contingent on Russian approval (as Russia rejected the proposal, the ceasefire did not actually materialize). In a March 2025 YouGov poll, 51% of Americans felt Trump was disrespectful toward Zelenskyy, while 32% felt Zelenskyy was disrespectful toward Trump.

Background

The meeting took place against the backdrop of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War, which began with Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and escalated with Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. By 2025, Ukraine heavily relied on international aid, particularly from Western countries, including the United States under the administration of Joe Biden, to continue its war effort. Zelenskyy, elected in 2019, had consistently sought robust international support to protect Ukraine's sovereignty. Trump has a history of confrontation with Zelenskyy, having been impeached in 2019 for withholding arms shipments to Ukraine in an attempt to coerce the Ukrainian president into investigating Trump's political rival, Joe Biden. Prior to becoming vice president, Vance had been critical of U.S. aid to Ukraine, having stated "I don't really care what happens to Ukraine one way or the other" in a 2022 interview. Zelenskyy described Vance as "too radical" in a 2024 interview after Trump picked him as his running mate in the 2024 presidential election.

On the first day of his second term, Trump signed an executive order to freeze foreign humanitarian aid to all countries for ninety days, and later defied a court order to lift the freeze. This order impacted USAID, which had pledged $16.4 billion in humanitarian aid to Ukraine in 2023. President Trump had made cutting expenditures to foreign countries a central part of his campaign, and subsequently his presidency. While Trump has claimed "about $350 billion" has been spent on Ukraine, factcheckers have found that $83 billion has been disbursed, $57 billion obligated, and $40 billion appropriated with the Congressional Research Service putting the total appropriation at $182 billion, between 2022 and 2024. The BBC reported that the Kiel Institute for the World Economy calculated that the U.S. spent $119.7 billion "on aid between January 2022 and December 2024", and that the U.S. Department of Defense provided a figure of $182.8 billion for "all spending on Operation Atlantic Resolvea response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine ..that covers U.S. military training in Europe and replenishment of U.S. defence stocks." US News says the "total aid commitment rom the United Statesis valued at about $128billion." The United States has given more grants to Ukraine than it has given loans.

Trump had expressed a willingness to negotiate an agreement with Russia to end the Russo-Ukrainian War, reversing a longstanding U.S. policy of isolating Russia after it invaded Ukraine. After he returned to office and initiated a phone call with Russian president Vladimir Putin, the first by an American president since the invasion began, Zelenskyy criticized him and accused Trump of being "caught in a web of disinformation" from Russia. Trump subsequently criticized him on his social media platform, Truth Social, where he accused Ukraine of starting the war and called Zelenskyy a "dictator" for not holding electionseven though the Ukrainian constitution prohibits elections during martial law, which was in effect in Ukraine at the time. The Trump administration aligned with Russia at the United Nations, voting against a European-backed General Assembly resolution on February 24, 2025, to condemn Russia and demand a withdrawal of its troops from Ukraine.

The Trump administration initially intended to cancel Zelenskyy's trip to Washington one week beforehand but was persuaded by French president Emmanuel Macron to proceed with it. The administration urged Ukraine to agree to share revenue from its raw minerals with the United States, and Zelenskyy had reportedly been planning to sign a framework agreement related to raw minerals during his visit. The idea for the agreement was originally proposed by Ukraine to the Biden administration in 2024. In January 2025, Ukraine signed a 100-year partnership with the United Kingdom also involving minerals. Prior to Zelenskyy's meeting with Trump, senator Lindsey Graham told Zelenskyy to focus on the present minerals agreement and to discuss a ceasefire and security guarantees later.

Meeting

The participants had planned to discuss further support for Ukraine in the context of concluding the framework agreement on minerals. The Ukrainian delegation opted for a mutually beneficial partnership that would provide security guarantees for Ukraine, not just the transfer of its resources. The agreement would have created a joint investment fund to rebuild Ukraine, with the U.S. gaining in the mining of rare-earth minerals. Ukraine had planned to stake half of future revenues from the country's resources and minerals into the fund. Graham and others mediated the deal in an effort to maintain Trump's interest in supporting Ukraine's security while negotiating peace between Putin and Zelenskyy.

Prior to the meeting, officials from Trump's entourage asked Zelenskyy to wear a formal suit for the meeting, which he had not done in public since Russia's invasion. Zelenskyy refused to do so, which reportedly offended Trump.

The meeting was scheduled for 11:00 ( UTC−5) in the Oval Office, the U.S. president's office, in the White House. It took place in front of journalists, in an internationally live broadcast event. At approximately 11:20, Zelenskyy arrived at the White House from the Hay–Adams Hotel, where he and his advisors were staying. Trump met him at the entrance to the West Wing. After shaking Zelenskyy's hand, he sarcastically remarked that Zelenskyy was "all dressed up today". During the meeting, Brian Glenn, a pro-Trump reporter and boyfriend of representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, asked Zelenskyy why he was not wearing a suit and that it was disrespectful. Zelenskyy said that he would wear one "after the war is finished". Trump responded that he thought Zelenskyy had "dressed beautifully" and that he "liked his clothing".

It was later revealed that a reporter from TASS, a Russian state-owned news agency, had gained access to the meeting.

Discussion

The meeting between the two leaders began cordially. Roughly 40 minutes into the meeting, Polskie Radio reporter asked Trump, "I'm talking with my friends in Poland, and they are worried that you align yourself too much with Putin. What's your message for them?" Trump answered the question with, "Well, if I didn't align myself with both of them, you'd never have a deal. ..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." Vance interjected to answer the question on his own, telling Zelenskyy, "The path to peace and the path to prosperity is maybe engaging in diplomacy. ..What makes America a good country is America engaging in diplomacy. That's what President Trump is doing."

Zelenskyy responded, discussing the history of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which Russia initiated in 2014 and continued for eight years until Russia's large-scale invasion; he added that "nobody stopped" Putin. Zelenskyy continued, stating that in 2019, he negotiated a ceasefire with Putin, Macron, and German chancellor Angela Merkel. However, Putin later did not abide by the ceasefire or another agreed-upon prisoner exchange. Zelenskyy concluded by asking Vance, "What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about?"

At that point, the conversation became hostile and continually escalated. Vance replied that he was discussing "diplomacy that's going to end the destruction of Ukraine", telling Zelenskyy, "I think it's 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." Zelenskyy asked if Vance had ever visited Ukraine, telling him, "Come once." Vance replied that he had "watched and seen the stories" regarding Ukraine, accusing Zelenskyy of showing a "propaganda tour" of Ukraine; Vance then questioned, "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?"

Zelenskyy told Vance, "First of all, during the war, everybody has problems, even you. But you have nice ocean and don't feel tnow, but you will feel it in the future. God bless, you will not have war." Trump interrupted, telling Zelenskyy, "You don't know that. Don't tell us what we're going to feel." Trump and Zelenskyy began speaking at the same time, as Zelenskyy asserted, "You will feel influence." Trump declared, "We are going to feel very good and very strong. ..You don't have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards." Zelenskyy replied, "I'm not playing cards ... I'm very serious ... I'm the president in a war", while Trump retorted, "You're gambling with millions of lives, you are gambling with World War Three ..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."

Vance questioned if Zelenskyy had ever offered thanks, despite Zelenskyy starting the conversation by saying "Thank you so much" to Trump. Vance falsely accused Zelenskyy of " aving goneto Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October 024. In actuality, Zelenskyy had visited a factory to offer thanks for workers producing ammunition for Ukraine. When Zelenskyy asked if he could answer, Trump responded, "No, you've done a lot of talking. ..If you didn't have our military equipment this war would have been over in two weeks." Zelenskyy replied, "In three days, I heard it from Putin." Trump responded, "It's going to be a very hard thing to do business like this", while Vance again asked Zelenskyy to "say thank you", and added to Zelenskyy, "You're wrong."

A journalist raised the hypothetical of Russia violating a ceasefire. Trump responded, "What if anything? What if a bomb drops on your head right now? ... they broke it with Biden because Biden, they didn't respect him. They didn't respect Obama. They respect me." Trump then referenced the Mueller special counsel investigation into him regarding Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, commenting that Putin "went through a hell of a lot" with him, "went through a phony witch hunt where they used him and Russia." Trump then criticized Joe Biden and his son Hunter, Adam Schiff and Hillary Clinton. Trump told Zelenskyy, "make a deal or we're out ... And if we're out, you'll fight it out. I don't think it's going to be pretty." Trump ultimately stopped the meeting, commenting, "I think we've seen enough. This is going to be great television."

Aftermath

The meeting ended without a firm resolution. Trump reportedly consulted Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and other top advisers after the exchange and eventually came to the conclusion that Zelenskyy was "not in a place to negotiate". According to ''The New York Times'' and CNN, U.S. officials then decided to ask Zelenskyy to leave, with the Ukrainian delegation waiting in the Roosevelt Room while Rubio and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz were sent to deliver the message. Trump canceled a planned joint news conference and the signing of the minerals agreement.

In an interview on Fox News, Waltz later claimed that some Ukrainian representatives were "practically in tears" but Zelenskyy remained "argumentative" when the Ukrainians were asked to leave. A Ukrainian representative suggested arranging another meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy to defuse tensions, but the Americans declined, with Trump later saying it was not convenient. Zelenskyy's motorcade left the White House courtyard at 13:42, returning to the Hay–Adams Hotel.

Zelenskyy visited the United Kingdom after the meeting with Trump to attend a summit with European leaders. A £2.26 billion loan was provided to Ukraine, which will be repaid from frozen Russian assets.

On March 3, the Trump administration suspended military aid to Ukraine. Within a week of the meeting, the Trump administration also suspended provision of intelligence to Ukraine. On March 5, CIA director John Ratcliffe said that there was a "pause" on both "the military front and the intelligence front", while national security adviser Mike Waltz answered a media query regarding intelligence provision that the United States was "pausing, assessing, looking at everything across our security relationship". On March 8, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency under the Trump administration said that, in relation to "support to Ukraine", the agency has "suspended access to U.S. government-purchased commercial imagery", while satellite imagery company Maxar Technologies suspended Ukrainian access per the Trump administration's decision.

''Politico Europe'' reported on March 6 that Trump's senior aides had covertly met Zelenskyy's Ukrainian political rivals, Yulia Tymoshenko and senior members of Petro Poroshenko's political party, as the Trump aides wanted to review the possibility of soon holding presidential elections in Ukraine, with the aim of ousting Zelenskyy.

On March 11, following a meeting in Jeddah between American and Ukrainian delegations, the Trump administration announced it would resume providing aid and intelligence to Ukraine.

Then-presumptive German Chancellor Friedrich Merz proposed a significant increase in defense spending in Germany, justifying his policy by the "rapidly changing situation", especially after the clash between Trump and Zelenskyy in the White House. In March 2025, German lawmakers approved an amendment to the Basic Law, allowing Merz's government to implement the most massive rearmament in Germany since World War II.

Analysis

United States

The meeting made domestic and international headlines, noted for its fiery, confrontational, and antagonistic tone by multiple news outlets. Fox News called it an "explosive confrontation". CNN wrote that "never before has an American president verbally attacked his visitor like Trump did to Zelenskyy"; an article by fact-checker Daniel Dale underlined that Zelenskyy had thanked the U.S. at least 33 times in English since January 2022, despite Trump's and Vance's claims to the contrary, and that this in particular did not include a review of his "many domestic remarks in Ukrainian". CNN journalist Frederik Pleitgen commented: "it is known that Volodymyr Zelenskyy makes every effort to speak English ..but when two such monster personalities talk to you like that, it could only go wrong." An op-ed by ''The Washington Post'' described Trump as sounding "more like Don Corleone than an American president" during the exchange. Late-night hosts such as Stephen Colbert also commented on the meeting.

Media analysis

The confrontation has been widely reported as a significant new low point in European–United States relations. Alexander Vindman, an expert on European relations and a retired U.S. Army colonel, writes that Trump has "taken Russia’s side against one of Washington’s European partners". ''The Wall Street Journal'' described the meeting as "imploding", highlighting its potential to undermine hopes for peace and casting doubt on future U.S. support for Ukraine. NPR commented that American foreign policy under Trump now "downplays alliances and is open for business with any country — depending on what's in it for the United States in the short run". ''The New York Times'' highlighted that Trump's aggressive behavior and harsh words towards Zelenskyy shattered the three-year wartime partnership between the United States and Ukraine. The meeting, described as a "shouting match" broadcast to the world, underscored Trump's increasing willingness to sacrifice Ukraine for his broader vision of rebuilding relations with Russia and abandoning traditional alliances. An NBC News analysis suggested that the argument represented "Trump's deep impatience with Ukraine and its democratically elected president, and his persistent defense of Russia's autocratic ruler". Ravi Agrawal, the editor-in-chief of ''Foreign Policy'', commented that Trump had "pushed the boundaries of press attention" and ensured that "a freewheeling discussion was aired out in front of the world's cameras" during every bilateral meeting at the White House. Several columnists suggested that Trump's actions could be seen as aligning with Russian interests and signaling an ongoing shift in U.S. foreign policy away from Atlanticism. The meeting became a massive internet meme online, with filter images of Vance's U.S Senator portrait being inflated to look like an infant became a viral phenomenon in reference to his "give thanks" comment to Zelenskyy.

International

The ''Kyiv Post'' suggested that a "turning point" during the meeting was when Trump described Ukraine as "destroyed", which "seemed to push the Ukrainian president past his limits". Many newspapers in the United Kingdom highlighted the meeting, including ''The Guardian'', which described it as "one of the greatest diplomatic disasters in modern history" and particularly singled out Vance for his role in starting the confrontation. Janet Daley, writing for ''The Daily Telegraph'', described America under Trump as an "imperial plutocracy" in light of the meeting. Canada's CBC News compared the leaders' exchange to the 1959 Kitchen Debate between then-vice president Richard Nixon and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Spanish newspaper ''El País'' highlighted that the confrontation was "all the more surprising" after Trump had "softened his stance" towards Zelenskyy in the days preceding the meeting. ABC News of Australia suggested that it could affect China–Russia relations and serve as a " wake up call" for Taiwan.

Russian state media expressed shock at the "breakdown in diplomacy" but expressed support for Trump's conduct. News anchor Alexander Kareevsky commented that the meeting "stopped observing the limits of decency" and had not seen any equivalent in "diplomatic history". A correspondent for Russia-24 said "it is clear that there can be no talk of any deliveries or further weapons" to Ukraine, and that Zelenskyy was "leaving with nothing". Margarita Simonyan

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases