The day began with the same cordial routine the White House reserves for visiting foreign dignitaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukraining President Volodymyr Zelensky was welcomed by President Donald Trump at the door of the West Wing with an honour guard, and the leaders shook hands politely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We were in the Oval Office as part of Ukrainian media pool, witnessing the well-rehearsed formalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zelensky presented President Trump with the championship belt of Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump complimented Zelensky\u2019s clothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So far, so diplomatic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But minutes later, what erupted was unprecedented to say the least. The genial tone devolved into acrimony and chaos. Voices were raised, eyes-rolled, aspersions cast \u2013 and all in front of the world\u2019s TV cameras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The American president and the vice-president berated the visiting leader, accusing Zelensky of not being grateful enough for US support that has sustained Ukraine\u2019s war effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tensions flared when vice-president JD Vance told Zelensky that the war had to be ended through diplomacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What kind of diplomacy, Zelensky replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Talking over the Ukrainian president, Vance told the visiting leader it was \u201cdisrespectful\u201d for him to come to the Oval Office and make his case in front of the American news media and demanded that he thank Trump for his leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Journalists in the room watched with gaping mouths, as an extraordinary exchange followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve done enough talking. You\u2019re not winning this,\u201d Trump told him at one point. \u201cYou gotta be thankful. You don\u2019t have the cards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m not playing cards,\u201d Zelensky replied. \u201cI\u2019m very serious, Mr President. I\u2019m the president in a war.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re gambling with World War Three,\u201d Trump responded. \u201cAnd what you\u2019re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country, that\u2019s backed you far more than a lot of people said they should have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vance retorted: \u201cHave you said \u2018thank you\u2019 once this entire meeting? No.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukraine\u2019s ambassador to the US watched with her head in her hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The atmosphere had shifted entirely \u2013 and all out in the open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our American colleagues remarked that they had never seen anything like it. \u201cA scene like this was simply unimaginable in the White House,\u201d one told me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As reporters exited the Oval Office, many stood still, in a state of shock. In the White House briefing room, where the exchange was replayed shortly afterwards, the rest of the media who hadn\u2019t been in the room watched in disbelief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confusion ensued. There were immediate questions about whether the planned news conference would go ahead \u2013 or if the much-anticipated deal between the US and Ukraine over mineral resources would even be signed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Minutes later, Trump posted on Truth Social that Zelensky could \u201ccome back when he is ready for peace\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The news conference and deal-signing ceremony \u2013 set to take place in the East Room of the White House \u2013 was officially cancelled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soon after Zelensky strode out and into a waiting SUV, as his ambassador trailed behind him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They pulled away as the world was only beginning to digest an extraordinary moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the full-blown argument, there may still be a minerals deal sooner or later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one thing is certain: this visit by Zelensky will be remembered for entirely different reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The world saw first-hand how negotiations between the US and Ukraine are unfolding: they are difficult, emotional, and tense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was clear that this was a tough negotiation for both parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The gift of Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk\u2019s belt certainly didn\u2019t save the situation. And after this bout at the White House, the real question now is what this means for the war in Ukraine \u2013 and Zelensky\u2019s own future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The shouting match verbatim <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n ZELENSKYY: Putin broke the ceasefire. What kind of diplomacy, JD, are you even talking about?<\/p>\n\n\n\n VANCE: I think it’s disrespectful to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ZELENSKYY: Disrespectful? My country is under attack, millions displaced, thousands killed\u2014and you\u2019re worried about optics?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TRUMP: Look, we have to be smart. We can\u2019t just keep giving you blank checks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ZELENSKYY: Blank checks? Every dollar goes to defending our people from an invasion. Meanwhile, you have no problem giving tax cuts to billionaires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TRUMP: We need accountability. Americans want to know where their money is going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ZELENSKYY: It\u2019s going to keeping democracy alive. You talk about \u2018America First,\u2019 but if Ukraine falls, Russia doesn\u2019t stop here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n VANCE: We just think Ukraine needs to be realistic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ZELENSKYY: Realistic? Russia is committing war crimes. They\u2019re kidnapping our children, bombing hospitals, executing civilians. Should we be \u2018realistic\u2019 and just accept that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TRUMP: Look, if I was president before, this never would\u2019ve happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ZELENSKYY: Because you would\u2019ve handed Ukraine over. That\u2019s not strength\u2014it\u2019s appeasement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TRUMP: Putin respects me. We would\u2019ve had peace in 24 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ZELENSKYY: Peace or surrender? Because your idea of peace is giving Putin exactly what he wants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TRUMP: You don\u2019t have the cards right now. You have to be thankful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ZELENSKYY: Thankful? For what? For being forced to beg for support while Russia slaughters my people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TRUMP: We\u2019re just saying, you need to be flexible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ZELENSKYY: No, I need weapons, air defenses, security guarantees\u2014not another fake deal where Ukraine loses everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n VANCE: Well, this isn\u2019t Ukraine\u2019s war alone. It\u2019s costing Americans billions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ZELENSKYY: And what happens when Russia wins and moves west? Do you think stopping them gets cheaper later?<\/p>\n\n\n\n TRUMP: I don\u2019t like endless wars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ZELENSKYY: Endless? This war only drags on because Russia refuses to stop. Not because Ukraine won\u2019t fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TRUMP: Well, we have to look at America\u2019s interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ZELENSKYY: America\u2019s interests? You let Putin win, you destroy NATO, you embolden China, you weaken America\u2019s alliances. That\u2019s not putting America first. That\u2019s handing it over<\/p>\n\n\n\n Editor: msserwanga@gmail.com<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The day began with the same cordial routine the White House reserves for visiting foreign dignitaries. Ukraining President Volodymyr Zelensky<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13963,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/78bbe2471054f6725e4fa83a8b081bf8c8-Zelenskyy-Trump-WH.rhorizontal.w700.webp","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7784,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/how-ukraines-president-zelensky-got-to-washington-on-a-us-airforce-plane\/","url_meta":{"origin":13962,"position":0},"title":"How Ukraine’s President Zelensky got to Washington on a US Airforce plane","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"December 25, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The extraordinary measures taken to transport Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from Ukraine to the US capital are a sign of just how crucial the relationship is for both countries. 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