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U.S. President Donald Trump, on Friday, abruptly truncated a sit-down with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, branding him “unprepared” for a détente with Russia—an explosive arguments unraveling in the Oval Office that cast a long shadow over hopes for a ceasefire.
Zelensky had rolled into Washington expecting a red-carpet White House affair, poised to seal a pact with the U.S. to tap Ukraine’s mineral wealth—a linchpin in a Stateside-orchestrated blueprint for rebuilding after years of war.
But the wheels came off almost instantly as a blistering showdown erupted in the Oval Office, with Trump and Vice President JD Vance unloading on Zelensky, their voices booming as they lambasted him for failing to show gratitude for America’s backing in Kyiv’s three-year slugfest against Russia’s onslaught.
Trump tore into the Ukrainian leader, demanding he muster more appreciation and hammering home that without Uncle Sam’s muscle, Ukraine would’ve been steamrolled by Moscow long ago—a raw, public dressing-down that left diplomacy in tatters.
Read also: Russia Lauds Trump For Holding Back Against Zelensky
“You’re either going to make a deal or we’re out,” Trump added. “And if we’re out, you’ll fight it out and I don’t think it’s going to be pretty.”
Zelensky left in his motorcade shortly after, without holding a planned joint press conference.The resources deal was left unsigned, the White House said
Trump took to his Truth Social platform to castigate Zelensky saying “he disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office.”
Zelensky is “not ready for Peace,” Trump wrote. “He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
