Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky left the White House early on Friday after a contentious Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump, a White House official said.
Trump said he couldn’t believe he described Ukraine’s Zelensky as a “dictator” when questioned on Thursday, a day before he accused the Ukrainian leader of “gambling with World War III.”
“Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that,” Trump answered when asked if he still thought of Zelensky as a dictator.
The American president later shared an explosive conversation with Zelensky on Friday. Trump accused Zelensky of being ungrateful for the support provided by the United States.
Vice President JD Vance accused Zelensky of being “disrespectful” and demanded he thank Trump.
Trump warned that failing to accept a US-led peace deal with Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022, would mean “gambling with World War III.”
“You’re either going 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.”
“You don’t have the cards. Once we sign that deal, you’re in a much better position. But you’re not acting at all thankful, and that’s not a nice thing. I’ll be honest. That’s not a nice thing.”
Zelensky openly challenged Trump over his softer approach toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging him to “make no compromises with a killer.” He also pushed back on Trump’s claims that Ukrainian cities have been reduced to rubble by three years of war. Trump stressed that Putin wants to make a deal.
No security guarantees in the deal
The agreement negotiated in recent days would open Ukraine’s vast mineral wealth to the United States but does not include explicit American security guarantees for Ukraine, a disappointment for Kyiv. Trump says the presence of Americans in business would serve as a form of guarantee.
How much the deal would be worth to the United States is not spelled out. Trump has said he expects to gain hundreds of billions of dollars. Zelensky has said he would not sign an agreement that would put his country in debt for generations.
Ukraine would contribute 50% of “all revenues earned from the future monetization of all relevant Ukrainian Government-owned natural resource assets” to a reconstruction fund jointly owned and managed by the United States and Ukraine.
The agreement does not specify how the funds would be spent, or identify specific assets it covers, though it says they would include deposits of minerals, oil and natural gas as well as infrastructure such as gas terminals and ports.
The Washington talks are a diplomatic boost for Zelensky who has repeatedly spoken of the importance of meeting Trump in person before the US president holds talks with Putin.
“The Ukrainians have been quite savvy at turning it round, and using this (the minerals deal) as an opening to engage the US,” said a senior Kyiv-based European diplomat, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
Kyiv hopes the agreement will spur Trump to back Ukraine’s war effort, and potentially even win support from Republicans in Congress for a new round of aid.
Ukraine has rapidly expanded its defense industry production but remains heavily reliant on foreign military assistance, while also struggling to replenish manpower as it battles a much larger foe.
While Ukraine repelled Russia’s invasion from the outskirts of Kyiv and recaptured swathes of territory in 2022, Russia still controls around a fifth of Ukraine and has been slowly taking ground since a failed Ukrainian counteroffensive in 2023. Kyiv’s troops hold a chunk of land in Russia’s western Kursk region after a 2024 incursion.