In Photos | 'Thank you POTUS': Zelenskyy after unprecedented showdown with Trump in Oval Office
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thanked US President Donald Trump and the country for its support after departing the White House following an unprecedented showdown in the Oval Office with the American leader and Vice President J D Vance. (Pics/AFP)
Updated on : 01 March,2025 03:11 PM IST | Compiled by : ronak mastakar
During an intense Oval Office meeting on Friday, Trump shouted at Zelenskyy, accusing him of "risking millions of lives" and warning that his actions might lead to World War III. In response, Zelenskyy abruptly departed the White House without signing a crucial minerals agreement with the US, which Trump had insisted upon and implied was a prerequisite for continued support to Ukraine
Minutes after his departure from the White House, the Ukrainian president in a post on X said, "Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that"
Following the unprecedented verbal clash in the Oval Office, a joint press conference scheduled between Trump and Zelenskyy in the East Room of the White House was also concealed. A White House spokesperson said a minerals agreement that was set to be signed between the US and Ukraine also did not go through
A statement from the White House said Trump and Vance "will always stand up for the interests of the American people and those who respect the United States' position in the world and will never allow the American people to be taken advantage of"
The statement cited Trump's exchange with Zelenskyy, in which the US leader asserted, "Let me tell you, you don't have the cards. With us, you have the cards, but without us, you don't have any cards." It also referenced a November Gallup poll indicating that 52 per cent of Ukrainians favour a swift resolution to the war and believe the country should consider "ceding some territory in exchange for peace"
The statement highlighted Trump's remark that Zelenskyy was "gambling with World War III". It noted that Zelenskyy himself has acknowledged that the situation in Ukraine could lead to WWIII, and that without US aid, they would lose
"A third world war could start in Ukraine, continue in Israel, and move on from there to Asia, and then explode somewhere else," the statement said
"We tried the pathway of Joe Biden, of thumping our chest and pretending that the President of the United States' words mattered more than the President of the United States' actions. What makes America a good country is America engaging in diplomacy? That's what President Trump's doing," Vance said
