Future of Zelenskyy, peace in Ukraine up in air after Oval Office blow-up with Trump

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The future of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy along with a potential peace deal with Russia is suddenly in peril after a volatile Oval Office meeting with President Trump.

Mr. Zelenskyy strode into the White House Friday to sign a minerals deal with the U.S. to hand over revenues from its natural resources, largely viewed as the first step toward the process of ending its three-year war with Russia.

The polite visit quickly turned tense and then downright acrimonious as Mr. Zelenskyy openly questioned peace negotiations, saying Russia wasn’t committed to peace. That prompted Mr. Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance to berate the Ukrainian president for not being grateful for U.S. support.

Tempers were raised, shouting erupted and Mr. Zelenskyy was asked by Mr. Trump to leave the White House.

The meeting went so badly that not only did the mineral deal remain unsigned, a joint press conference was canceled and Mr. Trump threatened to abandon Ukraine altogether.

In a social media post, Mr. Zelenskyy thanked Mr. Trump, Congress and the American people for his visit.

“Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that,” he said.

The future of achieving a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine, much less a larger peace deal, looks grim after the Oval Office spat.

“I think this bodes very ill for the peace process overall,” said George Beebe, a former adviser on Russia to Vice President Dick Cheney and now with the Quincy Institute. “The Ukrainians have to be on board for any kind of a compromise. If they’re not, you’re not going to get a durable settlement going forward. So unless that changes – unless Ukraine’s attitude towards this – it’s very unlikely the Trump folks can pull off a deal.”

Mr. Zelenskyy’s future in Ukraine may also be in doubt after the explosive meeting. Mr. Trump has long insisted that the Ukrainian president is unpopular in his own country. There is little evidence to support Mr. Trump’s claims, though a recent poll saying Mr. Zelenskyy has a 65% approval rating among Ukrainians was released by his government.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, openly questioned whether Mr. Zelenskyy was the right person to lead the peace process after the Oval Office dustup. He suggested Ukrainians are having second thoughts right now, wondering if Mr. Zelenskyy can “get them where they want to go.”

“He either needs to resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change,” Mr. Graham told reporters at the White House.

Democrats, however, remained steadfast in their support for Mr. Zelenskyy, arguing that Mr. Trump embarrassed himself during their meeting.

“Answer to Vance: Zelenskkyy has thanked our country over and over again both privately and publicly. And our country thanks HIM and the Ukrainian patriots who have stood up to a dictator, buried their own & stopped Putin from marching right into the rest of Europe. Shame on you,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Democrat, wrote on X.

European leaders rushed to Mr. Zelenskyy’s side.

Although they were careful not to criticize the Trump administration directly, more than dozen national leaders and top European Union officials, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen, issued strong statements in support of Ukraine.

“Ukraine, you’ll never walk alone,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said in a statement posted on X.

Mr. Macron, speaking to reporters on a visit to Portugal, remarked, “Russia is the aggressor, and Ukraine is the aggressed people. … These are simple things, but they’re good to remember at times like these.”

Mr. Beebe said the Ukrainian president desperately needs U.S. support because Ukraine relies on American intelligence and technology as well as its weapons to fight Russia. If Mr. Trump walks away from that, it will put Mr. Zelenskyy in a terrible bind.

“This also raises questions about whether potential challenges to Zelenskyy seize this opportunity to say, you know, thanks Volodymyr for your service but your time is done. It’s time for a new leader to move forward,” he said.

Mr. Trump made it clear in his face-to-face confrontation that Ukraine would face an even greater existential crisis without U.S. support and a peace deal.

“If we’re out, you’re going to fight it out, and it’s not going to be pretty. You’re not in a good position,” Mr. Trump said, pointing his finger at Mr. Zelenskyy, who sat with arms folded. “You’re gambling with World War III.”

Minutes after the shouting match, Mr. Trump questioned Mr. Zelenskyy’s commitment to ending the war.

“I have determined that President Zelensky is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations,” he wrote on Truth Social. “I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”

• David R. Sands contributed to this story.

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