No Deal Signed – Trump Claims Zelensky ‘Not Ready for Peace’ After Heated Clash in Oval Office

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky left the White House earlier than planned after a meeting with US President Donald Trump.

After their heated discussion, Trump posted a message on social media, claiming that Zelensky was “not ready for peace” and that he “disrespected the United States of America.”

“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,” Trump wrote on X.

The White House later confirmed that the scheduled joint press conference between the two leaders was canceled, reports Reuters.

Following his premature departure from the White House, Zelensky thanked the US President and the “American people” for their “support” and “this visit,” adding that Ukraine needs a “just and lasting peace.”

Zelensky was originally scheduled for a formal White House visit to finalize a US-Ukrainian agreement on jointly utilising Ukraine’s mineral resources, a key component of a US-mediated post-war recovery plan.

However, the visit quickly turned confrontational in the Oval Office, where Trump and Vice President JD Vance angrily confronted Zelensky, accusing him of lacking gratitude for US. support during the three-year war against Russia.

“You’re either going to make a deal or we’re out,” a furious Trump told Zelensky, as a meeting that was meant to ease tensions over the sudden US outreach to Russia ended up inflaming them, AFP reported. 

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Zelensky Calls Macron and NATO Chief After Dispute with Trump

The Elysee Palace confirmed that Macron and Zelensky had a conversation but did not share details. Zelensky was also in contact with Rutte, Financial Times journalist Christopher Miller reported.

“You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War Three, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to this country,” Trump added.

The meeting came after a week-long diplomatic dance that has also seen the leaders of France and Britain come to the White House to persuade Trump not to abandon Kyiv.

But tempers frayed after Vice President JD Vance said that “diplomacy” was needed to end the war. Zelensky asked “what kind of diplomacy” and Vance then accused him of being “disrespectful” in the president’s office.