Trump and Zelensky Have an Oval Office Smackdown

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Analysis Trump and Zelensky Have an Oval Office Smackdown Trump has been trying to strong-arm Ukraine for years, but it’s not getting any prettier. By Keith Johnson , a reporter at Foreign Policy covering geoeconomics and energy. U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C. U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 28. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images My FP: Follow topics and authors to get straight to what you like. Exclusively for FP subscribers. Subscribe Now | Log In United States Russia Ukraine February 28, 2025, 2:15 PM U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky got into an unusually heated exchange in the Oval Office on Friday, as Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance berated Ukraine’s leader for being ungrateful and pressured him to make a deal with Russia, only to be met with a spirited response. Russia’s War in Ukraine Understanding the conflict three years on. More on this topic Trump told Zelensky, the president of a country that has been successfully withstanding an invasion by a nuclear superpower for just over three years, that without (wildly inflated) U.S. assistance, Ukraine would have disappeared in about two weeks. Trending Articles Trump’s Angry Meeting With Zelensky Prompts Reactions Worldwide The responses were indicative of the shocking nature of the meeting. Powered By Advertisement Trump’s Angry Meeting With Zelensky Prompts Reactions Worldwide X U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky got into an unusually heated exchange in the Oval Office on Friday, as Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance berated Ukraine’s leader for being ungrateful and pressured him to make a deal with Russia, only to be met with a spirited response. Russia’s War in Ukraine Understanding the conflict three years on. More on this topic Trump told Zelensky, the president of a country that has been successfully withstanding an invasion by a nuclear superpower for just over three years, that without (wildly inflated) U.S. assistance, Ukraine would have disappeared in about two weeks. “Or three days, yes, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin said the exact same thing,” said Zelensky, concisely homing in on exactly the problem Ukraine faces when one of its larger defense and financial backers suddenly switches sides in the middle of a war. Zelensky came to Washington on Friday with a lot of baggage, a large dose of humility, a spartan wardrobe , and hopes that Trump’s apparent turn toward the Kremlin was a passing fad. He was sorely disabused of that when he sat down with Trump and his advisors in the Oval Office in front of news cameras. “Right now you are not in a very good position. You don’t have the cards right now,” Trump told Zelensky, referring to Ukraine’s challenges in rebuilding manpower and Russia’s incremental territorial gains with devastating losses in southeastern Ukraine. “You’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country,” Trump told Zelensky, who kept trying to (and eventually did) get a word in. Vance then leaned in to Zelensky. “Have you said ‘thank you’ once? You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October,” Vance told a visibly exasperated Zelensky, apparently referring to the Ukrainian leader’s trip to an ammunition factory in Pennsylvania in September 2024 that irked Republicans . The entire Oval Office exchange, unprecedented as it is for White House protocols or diplomatic niceties otherwise, underscores the degree of the shift that has taken place in the Trump White House in a scant five weeks since he took office. Trump has strong-armed Ukraine into agreeing to an extortionate, though chimerical, minerals deal (though that is now apparently dead); dangled economic concessions to Russia; called Zelensky a dictator (and then seemingly forgot he did so ); and raised the prospect of the 2022 Istanbul peace talks-cum-unconditional surrender as a template for the elusive peace plan he promised. The United States also voted with Russia and North Korea at the United Nations against Ukraine and its territorial integrity. Zelensky “can come back when he is ready for Peace,” Trump posted as the Ukrainian president left the White House ahead of schedule. Zelensky is learning what the White House press corps learned as its members watched the Russian agency Tass waltz into the Oval Office in their stead: There is a new sheriff in town. Read More A Ukrainian serviceman trains in the woods near the frontline in Ukraine. Three Years On, What’s Next for Europe and Ukraine? Nine thinkers on the bombshells coming out of Washington. Analysis | Daniel Fried , Ulrich Speck , Agathe Demarais , Nathalie Tocci , Garvan Walshe , C. Raja Mohan , Jo Inge Bekkevold , Mick Ryan , Keir Giles , Stefan Theil A worker mans a furnace during the nickel-smelting process in Indonesia’s South Sulawesi province. Trump’s Chaotic Agenda Has a Critical Through Line What do Greenland, Canada, and Ukraine have in common? Critical minerals. Analysis | Christina Lu Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gives a press conference in Kyiv on Feb. 26. Can Trump Force Ukraine to Accept a Peace Deal? Experts warn that Kyiv won’t sign off on a deal that’s bad for the country. Situation Report | John Haltiwanger , Rishi Iyengar This post is part of FP’s ongoing coverage of the Trump administration . Follow along here . Keith Johnson is a reporter at Foreign Policy covering geoeconomics and energy. X: @KFJ_FP Read More On Donald Trump | Russia | Ukraine | United States | War