Zelenskyy Oval Office meeting grows heated after pro-Russia comments by VP Vance
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S. President Donald Trump, and U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance clashed during a press briefing before their scheduled negotiations in the Oval Office on Feb. 28.
Zelenskyy stated that since beginning of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in 2014, no world leader was able to stop Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. This comment displeased Vance, who argued that Ukraine is struggling with manpower issues and should be grateful to Trump for "trying to prevent the destruction of his country."
Zelenskyy retorted by suggesting Vance visit Ukraine. The exchange quickly escalated, with Trump joining the fray. The Ukrainian president warned that the United States would feel the impact of the war despite the ocean separating them from Europe. In response, Trump said, "You can't tell us how we feel," adding that "Ukraine is not in a very good position."
During the argument, Trump reiterated his unsubstantiated claims that Ukraine had received "$350 billion" in aid from the United States. He also told Zelenskyy that without U.S. arms, the war would have ended in weeks. Zelenskyy replied that he had heard similar claims from Putin, who once suggested a three-day timeline for conquering Ukraine.
The U.S. president then told Zelenskyy that he "should be grateful" and accused him of "playing with World War III." Trump labeled Zelenskyy's remarks as "very ungrateful," according to Reuters.
At one point, Trump told Zelenskyy, "Either you make a deal, or we're out."
The New York Times described the confrontation as "one of the most dramatic moments ever publicly played out in the Oval Office."
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