WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — A White House meeting to seal a U.S.-Ukraine agreement on rare earth minerals exploded into an angry confrontation on Friday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walked out and the deal collapsed.
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance criticized Zelenskyy during the Oval Office meeting, blaming him for ingratitude and impeding peace with Russia. The tensions increased after Vance opined that diplomatic talks were the way to peace, a position Zelenskyy rejected, pointing to Russia’s track record of breaking promises.
“He murdered our citizens, and he did not trade prisoners,” Zelenskyy remarked about Russian President Vladimir Putin. “What is this diplomacy, JD, you’re talking about? What do you mean?”
Vance responded, “I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that will stop the destruction of your nation.” He went on to criticize Zelenskyy for questioning the U.S. administration in the Oval Office.
The situation was worse as Trump condemned Zelenskyy for “gambling with World War III” and disrespecting the United States. He warned that U.S. support may falter if Ukraine fails to negotiate a peace accord.
After the heated exchange, a scheduled joint news conference was scrapped, and Zelenskyy’s motorcade quickly departed the White House. Trump subsequently posted on his Truth Social site that Zelenskyy “is not ready” for peace and had “disrespected the United States of America in its revered Oval Office.”
The canceled meeting highlights rising tensions between the U.S. and Ukraine, as well as European allies, regarding the Trump administration’s policy on the current conflict. The proposed minerals agreement, which was meant to give the U.S. considerable access to Ukraine’s rare earth material in part in exchange for military aid, is now uncertain.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., who spoke with Zelenskyy earlier in the day, reacted to the Oval Office confrontation, saying, “That’s what you get for letting Vance in the room.”
The breakdown of the minerals pact is also calling into question the future of American aid to Ukraine and the larger strategy to respond to Russian aggression in the region.
