Zelensky's Outburst During the Oval Office Meeting

The meeting between Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump, alongside Vice President J.D. Vance, escalated into a contentious confrontation on Friday. During the exchange, Zelensky faced accusations of ungratefulness toward the American public and a reluctance to seek negotiations to resolve the ongoing conflict with Russia.

The heated dialogue unfolded as follows:

**US President Donald Trump:** "The world, I am aligned with the world and I want to get this thing [the Ukraine conflict] over with. You see the hatred he has got for [Russian President] Putin? It is very tough for me to make a deal with that kind of hate... I could be tougher than any human being you have ever seen. I would be so tough, but you are never going to get a deal that way, so that is the way it goes."

**US Vice President J.D. Vance:** "For four years, the US, we had a president [Joe Biden], who stood up at press conferences and talked tough about Vladimir Putin... What makes America a good country? Is America engaging in diplomacy? That is what president Trump is doing."

**Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky:** "So, he [Putin] occupied our parts, big parts of Ukraine, part of East and Crimea... I am not speaking about just Biden, but during 2014 nobody stopped him. He just occupied and took. He killed people... What kind of diplomacy, J.D., you are speaking about?"

**Vance:** "I am talking about the kind of diplomacy that is going to end the destruction of your country..."

**Zelensky:** "Have you ever been to Ukraine that you say what problems we have? Have you come once?"

**Vance:** "I have watched and seen the stories... Mr. President, with respect, I think it is disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media."

**Zelensky:** "A lot of, a lot of questions. Let us start from the beginning."

As the exchange continued, tensions mounted. Trump interjected numerous times, emphasizing the dire situation in Ukraine and questioning Zelensky's position:

**Trump:** "You are not in a good position. You do not have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards... You are gambling with the lives of millions of people... It has backed you far more than a lot of people said they should have."

**Vance:** "Have you said thank you once?"

**Zelensky:** "I said a lot of times thank you to American people..."

The confrontation saw Trump assert that the U.S. has been a significant ally to Ukraine, particularly mentioning the military aid provided under his administration:

**Trump:** "We gave you through this stupid president [Biden] $350 billion... If you did not have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks..."

**Zelensky:** "Of course, we want to stop the war..."

**Trump:** "Look, if you could get a ceasefire right now, I tell you, you take it, so the bullets stop flying and you men stop getting killed."

As the discussion wrapped up, Trump made a final remark about Zelensky's perception of the U.S. role in the conflict:

**Trump:** "The problem is I have empowered you to be a tough guy... But you do not have the cards. But once we sign that deal, you are in a much better position... But you are not acting at all thankful, and that is not a nice thing."

The exchange concluded with an acknowledgment of the intense nature of the meeting, signaling a rift in the communication between the two leaders on critical policy matters.

[Additional video content on the meeting can be found here.]

Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News