The Washington Post - Trump-Zelensky meeting cut short after contentious Oval Office exchange - The Ukrainian leader came to Washington to prevent Trump from abandoning Kyiv in favor of Moscow three years into Russia’s war on his country, but was met with vocal anger from the American president. February 28, 2025 at 12:58 p.m. ESTToday at 12:58 p.m. EST

 The Washington Post

Trump-Zelensky meeting cut short after contentious Oval Office exchange

The Ukrainian leader came to Washington to prevent Trump from abandoning Kyiv in favor of Moscow three years into Russia’s war on his country, but was met with vocal anger from the American president.

February 28, 2025 at 12:58 p.m. ESTToday at 12:58 p.m. EST

7 min

Watch Trump, Vance and Zelensky's Oval Office argument

10:25

President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky engaged in an argument about the Russia- Ukraine war on Feb. 28. (Video: The Washington Post, Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

By Michael Birnbaum and Matt Viser

President Donald Trump ripped into Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office on Friday, in a remarkable encounter that could determine a generation of war and peace in Europe but that at times felt more like a barroom brawl with furious demands from Trump and Vice President JD Vance for respect and gratitude from the wartime Ukrainian leader.

The heated back and forth — with Trump, Zelensky and Vance at times shouting over each other — was a striking breach of Oval Office comity, where even tough encounters have typically happened with calm voices and diplomatic language.

Not Friday, when Trump told Zelensky that he had no cards, was in no position to make requests of the United States, and suggested talks could derail unless attitudes changed.

Zelensky pushed back against Trump, urging him to offer security guarantees, emphasizing Putin’s aggression, and, as things grew heated, chided Vance for speaking about Ukraine without having visited the country.

Zelensky left shortly after 1:40 p.m., with a planned press conference canceled and Trump writing on social media: “He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he’s ready for Peace.”

Also cut short were plans for Trump and Zelensky to finalize an agreement granting the U.S. limited access to Ukraine’s mineral rights.

The meeting began cordially. But Trump has been skeptical of his Ukrainian counterpart, calling him a “dictator” last week and blaming Ukraine for the war even though it began with an unprovoked invasion by Moscow.

President Donald Trump meets with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Feb. 28. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

The most headed dispute came after Vance had pointed to the need for diplomacy and criticized the Biden administration. Zelensky then recounted Putin’s actions in 2014 and said the world has emboldened him over time.

“Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media,” Vance said. “You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict.”

Zelensky challenged him back.

“Have you ever been to Ukraine? Come once?” he asked.

“You bring people, you bring them on a propaganda tour, Mr. President,” Vance responded, and then challenged him over problems they’ve had with their military.

“First of all, during the war, everybody has problems, even you,” Zelensky said. “But you have nice ocean and don't feel now, but you will feel it in the future.”

Then, Trump joined in.

“You don’t know that. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. You’re in no position to dictate that,” he said, his voice raising.

“You're right now not in a very good position. You've allowed yourself to be in a very bad position,” he added. “You don't have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards.”

“I’m not playing cards. I’m very serious, Mr. president,” Zelensky responded. “I’m very serious.”

“You're gambling with lives of millions of people,” Trump said. “You're gambling with World War III. You're gambling with World War III. 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 had.”

Vance joined back in, asking, “Have you said thank you once, in this entire meeting?”

Zelensky said he has often thanked the American people for their support in the war effort.

“Your country is in big trouble,” he said, as Zelensky tried to speak again.

“Wait a minute. No, no, you’ve done a lot of talking,” Trump said. “Your country is in big trouble.”

“You’re not winning this,” he added, and then put on a mocking voice. “Then you tell us, ‘I don't want a cease fire. I don't want a cease fire.’”

Trump paused a minute, and then added, “It’s going to be a tough deal to make.”

But nerves were still high. One reporter in the room asked what would happen if Russia broke a ceasefire, and Trump responded, “What if a bomb drops on your head right now?”

Trump tried to calm the room a bit, while still expressing dismay with Zelensky.

“You don't have the cards. But once we sign that deal, you're in a much better position. But you're not acting at all thankful. And that's not a nice thing. I'll be honest. That's not a nice thing.”

He then ordered reporters out of the room and, as they were leaving, offered an aside.

“This is going to be great television,” he said. “I will say that.”

Trump has declared his faith that Putin, too, wants to end the war and will abide by any peace agreement that is struck. He has held back from criticism of the Russian leader even as he has hit Zelensky, and this week sided with Moscow and Pyongyang against Ukraine in a vote marking the war’s anniversary at the United Nations.

But Trump has often taken pains to be polite with other leaders when he has met them in person and has had positive face-to-face conversations with Zelensky in the past, something the Ukrainian leader was banking on when he rushed to Washington this week for the encounter.

Trump several times cast himself as a mediator between the two countries, saying he wanted to open up communications with Russia in a way that Biden’s administration would not, while also aligning himself with Ukraine by hosting Zelensky at the White House.

While the meeting grew heated as it went on, it began with niceties typical of such encounters.

Trump reaffirmed that there would continue to be military assistance for Ukraine — “Hopefully we won’t have to send much because I’m looking forward to getting it done quickly” — and he said the U.S. was still committed to NATO and to protecting Poland.

“I hope I’ll be known and recognized as a peacemaker,” Trump said several times in the Oval Office, as the two leaders met and took questions. He expressed optimism that a deal would bring the war to an end and that aid to Ukraine could be used for rebuilding rather than for fighting.

“I give tremendous gratitude, generals and your soldiers and yourself, in a sense, that been very hard fighting, very tough fighting, great fighters, and we have to be very proud of them,” he said. “But now we want to get it over. It's enough. We want to get it over with. So it's an honor to have you here.”

Zelensky told Trump that he hoped that he would have a “strong position to stop Putin.”

“I hope that together we can stop him,” he said. “But for us, very important to save our country, our values, our freedom, democracy.”

Zelensky brought out Manila folders of pictures to show Trump — pictures of “ladies and men,” saying he didn’t want to show photos of children.

“Even in the war there are rules,” he said. “These guys, they don’t have rules.”

Trump also brushed aside questions of whether the United States was still siding with Zelensky. It should be obvious that Zelensky had U.S. support, Trump said, since he was sitting next to him.

“I think that the United States on our side from the very beginning of occupation,” Zelensky said. “And I think that Trump is on our side.”

What readers are saying

The comments overwhelmingly express embarrassment and shame over the meeting between President Trump and President Zelensky, with many criticizing Trump's behavior as disrespectful and supportive of Putin. Commenters praise Zelensky for his courage and leadership, contrasting it... Show more

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By Michael Birnbaum

Michael Birnbaum is a White House correspondent for The Washington Post, covering the Trump presidency. He previously covered national security and diplomacy from Washington and served more than a decade in Europe as The Post’s bureau chief in Brussels, Moscow and Berlin. He joined The Post in 2008. Send him secure tips on Signal at @mbwp.01.follow on X@michaelbirnbaum

By Matt Viser

Matt Viser is the White House bureau chief for The Washington Post. He has covered four administrations, as well as Congress, the State Department, and presidential campaigns. He joined The Post in October 2018, and was previously deputy chief of the Washington bureau for the Boston Globe. Send him secure tips on Signal at @mattviser.95.follow on X@mviser