Their meeting at the Oval Office yesterday turned into something of a schoolyard shouting match.
European leaders are rallying around Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy clashed with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
During the Friday meeting, Trump bluntly accused Zelenskyy of “gambling with World War Three”, while the Ukrainian president said there should be “no compromises” with Russia.
It kicked OFF in the Oval Office with Zelenskyy and Trump
— PoliticsJOE (@PoliticsJOE_UK) February 28, 2025pic.twitter.com/f1DY4yQQeG
US Vice-President JD Vance then accused Zelenskyy of being “disrespectful” before he added: “You should be thanking the president”.
Zelenskyy said the US is protected from Russia: “You have a nice ocean, and don’t feel now but you will feel it in the future”, to which Trump came back: “Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. You’re in no position to dictate that”.
Things continued to get more heated as Vance asked Zelenskyy: “Have you said thank you once?”. Trump then threatened: “You’re either going to make a deal or we’re out”.
Quickly afterward, the US president posted a statement that said Zelensky should return to Washington when he is “ready for peace”.
After a war of words earlier this month, many were hoping the summit could lead to a warming of relations between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump – very few could have predicted it would descend into the altercation that ensued.
In an interview on Fox News hours later, Zelenskyy said that the spat is “not good for both sides”, but added that he thinks the relationship can be salvaged.
The extraordinary scenes from the Oval Office on Friday has prompted a series of responses from European leaders.
While Keir Starmer is yet to be make a comment, a spokesperson for No 10 says the Prime Minister has spoken to both Trump and Zelenskyy and that “he retains unwavering support for Ukraine, and is doing all he can to find a path forward to a lasting peace.”
French President Emmanuel Macron, who met Trump earlier this week, said: “There is an aggressor: Russia. There is a victim: Ukraine. We were right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago—and to keep doing so.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz posted on X that “nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians do”, before adding that “Ukraine can rely on Germany – and on Europe.”
Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians do. Therefore we are working on a common path to a lasting and just peace. Ukraine can rely on Germany – and on Europe.
— Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) February 28, 2025
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said an “immediate summit” is needed between the US, Europe and its allies to discus the war in Ukraine.
President Zelenskyy has responded to many of his European counterparts, expressing thanks for their support.
