Sparks flew in a fiery exchange between President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a February 28 Oval Office press conference.
The Vice President told Zelenskyy that “the path to peace and the path to prosperity is maybe engaging in diplomacy.” He denounced former President Joe Biden’s approach, which he described as “thumping our chest and pretending that the President of the United States’ words matter more than the President of the United States’ actions.”
Zelenskyy appeared unpersuaded by Vance’s comments.
“What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about? What do you mean?” Zelenskyy asked. The Ukrainian leader also described the history of the Eastern European conflict and questioned whether Vance had ever been to the former Soviet state.
“Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media right now,” Vance hit back.
Trump later described Zelenskyy as “not in a very good position.” He later told the Ukrainian, “You’re gambling with World War III.”
“Have you ever said thank you once?” Vance asked Zelenskyy.
In the tense exchange, Trump concurrently added, “You’re not acting at all thankful.”
This roughly 50-minute exchange, which included about 10 minutes of heated back-and-forth, comes just minutes before the United States and Ukraine are supposed to sign a preliminary deal to give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s critical raw materials in exchange for the possibility of continued aid.
Fox News reported that a press conference on the deal was supposed to occur at 1 p.m. EST. At the time of this writing (1:15 p.m. EST), the press conference has not yet started. The anchors of Fox’s Special Report relayed a White House schedule and said there was supposed to be a 6 p.m. EST interview with Brett Baier and that Trump was supposed to fly back to Mar-A-Lago tonight.
The first word from the White House came from the President on his Truth Social platform.
“We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today. Much was learned that could never be understood without conversation under such fire and pressure. It’s amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations. I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace,” Trump posted.
This is the first face-to-face meeting since Trump called Zelenskyy a “dictator.”