Ukraine’s Zelensky refuses to apologize after being berated by Trump and Vance; Pa. visit part of argument

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance shouted at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a wild meeting in the Oval Office at the White House Friday meant to announce a partnership.

Most of the 45-minute meeting went as expected, with Trump and Zelensky announcing they planned to sign an agreement for Ukraine to share natural resources with the United States in exchange for continued support against Russia’s invasion.

But the final 10 minutes of the meeting devolved into a shouting match rarely seen in front of cameras and reporters in the Oval Office.

At one point, Vance said Zelensky was being “disrespectful” for attempting to press the U.S. for more of a commitment of support, as Trump has made comments over the past week about Zelensky being a “dictator” and casting doubt about Vladimir Putin’s role in the conflict.

Zelensky said while the impact of their conflict with Russia hasn’t reached the United States, it would in the future, in the form of an emboldened Putin. The remark appeared to irritate Trump.

“Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel,” Trump shot back. “We’re trying to solve a problem ... You’re in no position to dictate what we’ll feel.”

“You’re right now not in a very good position,” Trump added. “You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards.”

“Have you said thank you once during this entire meeting?” Vance asked Zelensky before claiming the Ukrainian president went to Pennsylvania and “campaigned for the opposition” during the 2024 presidential campaign.

Zelensky did travel to Pennsylvania, but he didn’t campaign against Trump or for his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris. Instead, in September he met with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, which manufactures large-caliber metal projectiles that are being used by Ukraine to fight Russia’s invasion.

Republicans questioned the meeting, claiming it amounted to a campaign visit for Harris a little more than a month before the election. House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R., Ky.), opened an investigation into the trip, but there have been no further updates since.

Late Friday afternoon, Shapiro issued a statement condemning Zelensky’s treatment by Trump and Vance in the Oval Office and asserting it has put the U.S. at risk.

“The Oval Office should be a place where we advance American values — not where we retreat from them,” Shapiro said. “When the President and Vice President attacked President Zelenskyy today, they served to undermine the safety and security of America and our national security interests. I support a diplomatic end to this war. Achieving this requires an honest reckoning of who started the war and who the aggressor is, and to that question, there is only one answer: Russia.”

As the conversation devolved into Trump and Vance berating Zelensky, Ukrainian ambassador Oksana Markarova was seen holding her head in her hands.

The tense meeting ended with Trump quipping, “This is going to be great on television.”

A planned news conference was canceled and the mineral deal wasn’t signed before Zelensky departed, having been asked to leave, the White House said.

Trump said in a statement after the Oval Office meeting that the Ukrainian leader was “not ready for peace.” Speaking to reporters Friday evening as he departed the White House, Trump complained about Zelensky criticizing Putin but stopped short of calling for him to resign as Ukraine’s president.

“I want anybody who’s going to make peace,” Trump said, adding, “Either we’re going to end it or let him fight it out. If he fights it out, it’s not going to be pretty because without us he doesn’t win.”

On social media, Zelensky thanked Trump and the U.S. for its support against Russian aggression, writing, “Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.”

During an interview on Fox News Friday evening, Zelensky declined to apologize to Trump, telling host Bret Baier he didn’t feel he said anything wrong.

“I respect the president, and I respect American people,” Zelensky said. “I think we have to be very open and very honest, and I don’t think we did something bad.”

The meeting not only threatened to derail a deal between Zelensky and Trump, it also put into question military aid the United States has already agreed to provide Ukraine as it fights off an invasion from Russia.

Friday evening, the Washington Post reported the Trump administration is considering putting an end to all ongoing shipments of military aid, which would include billions of dollars of equipment, including vehicles, ammunition, and missiles.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who corrected Trump on Europe’s aid to Ukraine in the White House earlier this week, told reporters in Portugal Friday “we all were right to have helped Ukraine and sanctioned Russia three years ago, and to continue to do so,” according to a translation by the Associated Press.

“There’s an aggressor, which is Russia, and a people attacked, which is Ukraine,” Macron added.

Other leaders in Europe pledged to stand by Ukraine, with leaders from Spain, Sweden, Germany, Moldova, Poland, and Estonia all offering support for Zelensky.

“It is time for Europe to step up. We do not need to wait for something else to happen,” Margus Tsahkna, Estonia’s minister of foreign affairs, wrote in a statement. “Europe has enough resources, including Russia’s frozen assets, to enable Ukraine to continue fighting.”

A few Republicans called out the tone of the president’s meeting with Zelensky. Rep. Don Bacon (R., Idaho) called it “A bad day for America’s foreign policy,” while Rep. Mike Lawler (R., N.Y.) wrote on social media, “Having this spill out into public view was a disaster — especially for Ukraine.”

Dmitry Medvedev, the former president of Russia who currently serves as the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, praised Trump for giving Zelensky a “fierce scolding,” according to the Associated Press.

Sen. Lindsay Graham (R., S.C.), who has been an outspoken supporter of Ukraine during its conflict with Russia, said he was “devastated” by the clash in the White House.

During an interview on Fox News Friday afternoon, Graham said he met with Zelensky earlier in the morning and said his advice to the Ukrainian presidents was to “be grateful” to Trump. Instead, it devolved into a shouting match Graham described as an “utter disaster.”

“The question for me: ‘Is [Zelensky] redeemable in the eyes of Americans?’” Graham said, adding later in the interview, “Zelensky is either going to have to fundamentally change or go.”