A heated exchange of words occurred at one point during a bilateral meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky in the Oval Office of the White House. As a result, Trump complained that Zelensky had behaved disrespectfully. In light of this, their previously scheduled joint press conference was canceled.
The bilateral meeting was held on Friday (February 28). The US-based media outlet Voice of America published this report.
The report said that the last 10 minutes of the 45-minute meeting saw a heated exchange of words between Trump, Vance and Zelensky. Zelensky expressed doubts about Russia's commitment to diplomacy, citing Moscow's years of breaking promises on the world stage.
Vance told Zelensky, “Mr. President, with all due respect, I think it is disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office and make this allegation in front of the American media.” A heated exchange ensued.
The report also said that Zelensky tried to object, but in the end, Trump insisted, “You are gambling with the lives of millions of people.” Trump added, “You are gambling on World War III and what you are doing is disrespectful to the country, to this country, which has supported you so much, which many people say is much more than they have.”
After the meeting, President Trump wrote in a post on the social media platform Truth Social, “We had a very meaningful meeting today at the White House. Under such pressure, there is not much to understand without discussion. Emotions come out in surprising ways, and I have determined that President Zelensky is not ready for peace if America is involved, because he thinks our involvement gives him a big advantage in the negotiations. I don't want convenience, I want peace. He has disrespected the traditional Oval Office of the United States. He can come back when he is ready for peace."
Earlier on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would sign a deal that would give the United States de facto control of Kiev's lucrative rare earth minerals, which would pay for the weapons Washington, sent to Ukraine during its three-year war with Russia.
Trump said at his first cabinet meeting as president that Zelensky would be coming to the White House on Friday to sign the deal and discuss the war situation. However, the deal was not signed after the heated exchange, Voice of America reported.