Zelenskyy says dispute in White House helped neither Ukraine nor US
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump (Photo: Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the meeting at the White House with US President Donald Trump was necessary for Ukraine. However, the dispute that occurred during the meeting did not benefit either side, according to the Ukrainian leader's interview with Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro.
"We had to talk over a variety of elements. We had different meetings - fruitful and more philosophical meetings - I would say on different stages of our life, and the meeting with President Trump as well. So I think that the meeting in the oval office it did not help Ukraine it did not help to the US," Zelenskyy said.
He added that, in his view, when Ukraine and the US hold such a meeting, both sides should shed light on people. Specifically, they should demonstrate the path Zelenskyy had already mentioned - the path toward ending the war.
Zelenskyy also emphasized that he believes there will be more fruitful meetings between him and Trump.
"We count on the strategic partnership, and we have always respected the people of the US and the choice of the US and the support coming from the US. And that is why I think that we will have more fruitful meetings with President Trump. But you have to understand Ukraine: We are defending against Russia's offense," the President concluded.
Dispute in the Oval Office between Trump and Zelenskyy
On February 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the White House to meet with US President Donald Trump. That day, they were supposed to sign a framework agreement on minerals and resources between the two countries.
However, during a press conference, the leaders got into a heated exchange. Trump stated that Ukraine would not be able to win the war, highlighting the lack of personnel in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and urged Kyiv to stop fighting. In response, Zelenskyy accused Russia of not fulfilling previous agreements, which angered Trump. The US president then accused the Ukrainian leader of playing with the Third World War, and US Vice President JD Vance also joined the confrontation.
After the incident in the Oval Office, European leaders sided with Ukraine and made public statements. At the same time, several European officials tried to mediate between the two sides.
Soon after, Trump, speaking in the US Congress, claimed to have received an important letter from Zelenskyy, stating that Ukraine was ready to sit down for negotiations to reach an agreement on minerals and peace in the country. However, as clarified later by Ukraine's Ambassador to the US, this referred to a post by Zelenskyy on the social media platform X.
