European allies join to back Ukraine” fiascoA troop of European leaders will support Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday as the American president fueled new alarm among Ukraine’s allies after his summit with Vladimir Putin.

Zelenskyy’s meeting with Trump and Vance unravels into an extraordinary clash
Trump later said the Ukrainian president had “disrespected” the U.S., while Zelenskyy said he didn’t think he owed his American counterpart an apology.

A White House meeting that was intended to kick off negotiations on a deal over Ukraine’s rare earth minerals devolved Friday into a remarkable confrontation, with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance chastising Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and telling him he wasn’t grateful enough to the United States.

The Oval Office shouting match has for now shattered hopes for the minerals deal, which Trump and his allies had presented as an important step forward for Ukraine on the road to peace with Russia more than three years after the war began.

“He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social website after the meeting ended. “He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”

Trump dug in further hours later, telling reporters that Zelenskyy “overplayed his hand” and accusing the Ukrainian president of “looking to go on and fight, fight, fight.”

“We’re not looking for somebody that’s going to sign up a strong power and then not make peace because they feel emboldened,” Trump said. “We’re not looking to go into a 10-year war and play games. We want peace.”

After departing the White House, Zelenskyy posted on X, “Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.”

During a Fox News interview Friday evening, Zelenskyy reiterated his appreciation of U.S. support but rebuffed calls to apologize for his comments at the White House.

“I think that we have to be very open and very honest. And I’m not sure that we did something bad,” Zelenskyy said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is among the Trump allies who have called on Zelenskyy to issue an apology, telling CNN in an interview Friday night that Zelensky should “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,” Rubio said. “We were hoping that that meeting would begin by: ‘Thank you for everything you’ve done for us. We wouldn’t be where we are today without you. We wouldn’t even have a chance to negotiate a piece without the help you gave us.'”

Despite Trump’s assertion that Zelenskyy “doesn’t have the cards” to negotiate, the Ukrainian leader remained adamant Friday night that security guarantees be included in any agreement to end the war, as well as the rare earth minerals deal drafted by the Trump administration.

The security guarantees, he added in the Fox News interview, are critical given what he described as a long history of Russian President Vladimir Putin disregarding ceasefire agreements.

Zelenskyy made many of those same points during his meeting with Trump and Vance when the cameras were rolling. A White House official told NBC News that Trump and other U.S. officials later asked Zelenskyy to leave the White House, saying that he was not welcome back on Friday. Zelenskyy abruptly departed the White House, and a planned joint news conference with the two leaders was called off.

The Oval Office exchange underscored the tension that has emerged between the United States and Ukraine — along with many of its European allies — over the tougher line that Trump has taken toward the country since coming into office. He has called Zelenskyy a “dictator“ and falsely said that Ukraine, not Russia, started the war.

Rubio said Friday that frustrations over Zelenskyy’s behavior are not new, pointing to reporting by NBC News that President Biden lost his temper and raised his voice while on the phone with the Ukrainian leader, according to four people familiar with the June 2022 call.

“These frustrations are not unique to President Trump,” Rubio said.

Zelenskyy told Fox News that he believes his relationship with Trump could still be salvaged. But he said in the interview that he wants to see signs of Trump favoring Ukraine over Russia.Trump met Zelenkskyy outside the White House, before joining him in the Oval Office where they took questions from the media.

European leaders, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, President Macron of France and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are also present.

The meeting was much more cordial than their infamous meeting in February, in which Trump berated Zelenskyy in front of the world’s media.

Trump said there was a “good chance” of ending the war through these meetings.

“I know the president, I know myself, and I believe Vladimir Putin wants to see it end,” Trump said.

US president also touts ‘very substantial progress’ in Putin talks and confirms US will be ‘involved’ in Ukraine’s security

Zelensky and Trump holding Ukraine talks at White House.
Trump-Zelensky meeting : European allies join to back Ukraine” fiasco
A troop of European leaders will support Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday as the American president fueled new alarm among Ukraine’s allies after his summit with Vladimir Putin.Share & Save —

Zelenskyy’s meeting with Trump and Vance unravels into an extraordinary clash
Trump later said the Ukrainian president had “disrespected” the U.S., while Zelenskyy said he didn’t think he owed his American counterpart an apology.

A White House meeting that was intended to kick off negotiations on a deal over Ukraine’s rare earth minerals devolved Friday into a remarkable confrontation, with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance chastising Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and telling him he wasn’t grateful enough to the United States.

The Oval Office shouting match has for now shattered hopes for the minerals deal, which Trump and his allies had presented as an important step forward for Ukraine on the road to peace with Russia more than three years after the war began.

“He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social website after the meeting ended. “He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”

Trump dug in further hours later, telling reporters that Zelenskyy “overplayed his hand” and accusing the Ukrainian president of “looking to go on and fight, fight, fight.”

“We’re not looking for somebody that’s going to sign up a strong power and then not make peace because they feel emboldened,” Trump said. “We’re not looking to go into a 10-year war and play games. We want peace.”

After departing the White House, Zelenskyy posted on X, “Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.”

During a Fox News interview Friday evening, Zelenskyy reiterated his appreciation of U.S. support but rebuffed calls to apologize for his comments at the White House.

“I think that we have to be very open and very honest. And I’m not sure that we did something bad,” Zelenskyy said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is among the Trump allies who have called on Zelenskyy to issue an apology, telling CNN in an interview Friday night that Zelensky should “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,” Rubio said. “We were hoping that that meeting would begin by: ‘Thank you for everything you’ve done for us. We wouldn’t be where we are today without you. We wouldn’t even have a chance to negotiate a piece without the help you gave us.'”

Despite Trump’s assertion that Zelenskyy “doesn’t have the cards” to negotiate, the Ukrainian leader remained adamant Friday night that security guarantees be included in any agreement to end the war, as well as the rare earth minerals deal drafted by the Trump administration.

The security guarantees, he added in the Fox News interview, are critical given what he described as a long history of Russian President Vladimir Putin disregarding ceasefire agreements.

Zelenskyy made many of those same points during his meeting with Trump and Vance when the cameras were rolling. A White House official told NBC News that Trump and other U.S. officials later asked Zelenskyy to leave the White House, saying that he was not welcome back on Friday. Zelenskyy abruptly departed the White House, and a planned joint news conference with the two leaders was called off.

The Oval Office exchange underscored the tension that has emerged between the United States and Ukraine — along with many of its European allies — over the tougher line that Trump has taken toward the country since coming into office. He has called Zelenskyy a “dictator“ and falsely said that Ukraine, not Russia, started the war.

Rubio said Friday that frustrations over Zelenskyy’s behavior are not new, pointing to reporting by NBC News that President Biden lost his temper and raised his voice while on the phone with the Ukrainian leader, according to four people familiar with the June 2022 call.

“These frustrations are not unique to President Trump,” Rubio said.

Zelenskyy told Fox News that he believes his relationship with Trump could still be salvaged. But he said in the interview that he wants to see signs of Trump favoring Ukraine over Russia.Trump met Zelenkskyy outside the White House, before joining him in the Oval Office where they took questions from the media.

European leaders, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, President Macron of France and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are also present.

The meeting was much more cordial than their infamous meeting in February, in which Trump berated Zelenskyy in front of the world’s media.

Trump said there was a “good chance” of ending the war through these meetings.

“I know the president, I know myself, and I believe Vladimir Putin wants to see it end,” Trump said.

US president also touts ‘very substantial progress’ in Putin talks and confirms US will be ‘involved’ in Ukraine’s security