- A US-Ukraine rare-earth-minerals deal is off for now.
- The White House said on Friday that the expected agreement remained unsigned.
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit devolved into an Oval Office shouting match.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday abruptly left the White House without signing a rare-earth-minerals deal after negotiations blew up following an Oval Office clash.
“He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office,” President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media platform. “He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
In a tense scene in the Oval Office, Trump and Vice President JD Vance criticized Zelenskyy in front of reporters. Vance took exception to Zelenskyy’s past media appearances and argued that the Ukrainian leader didn’t express enough gratitude.
.@VP: “Do you think that it’s respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?”@POTUS: “You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards … You’re… pic.twitter.com/iTYyAmfuCJ
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 28, 2025
“I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media,” Vance said, later adding, “In this entire meeting, have you said thank you?”
Zelenskyy said he was reluctant to trust Russian President Vladimir because of the Russian leader’s previous disregard of international agreements.
Trump told Zelenskyy he was in no position to leverage the US.
“The problem is I’ve empowered you to be a tough guy,” Trump said. “And I don’t think you’d be a tough guy without the United States. And your people are very brave, but you’re either going to make a deal or we’re out. And if we’re out, you’ll fight it out.”
A White House spokesperson confirmed that the agreement remained unsigned shortly after Zelenskyy left the grounds.
Later in the afternoon, Zelenskyy posted a message that contained “thank you” four times in three sentences. He also canceled a planned appearance at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank.
“Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a Trump ally who has frequently visited Ukraine, said he wasn’t sure the deal could be salvaged.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen next,” Graham told Fox News. “I don’t know if you can repair the damage.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had traveled to Ukraine to broker a deal that would give the US a financial stake in Ukraine’s future. Trump has said he also wants to recoup the $174 billion Congress has appropriated for Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Experts estimate that the US would most likely net far less than the $500 billion figure Trump has cited when discussing the deal. (Trump has also said the US has given Ukraine far more aid than it actually has, and most US aid to the country has been spent inside the US to replenish the nation’s weapons stockpiles.)
Trump has sought to broker an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. Zelenskyy has pushed for US security guarantees to be part of any mineral deal, hoping to deter Putin from future aggression.
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