Zelenskyy meets with British prime minster following tense Trump meeting

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed interest in signing a rare mineral proposal from the Trump administration after a tense Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump. The proposed deal would give the U.S. rights to some of Ukraine’s rare-earth minerals as compensation for arms provided to Ukraine.
• The Oval Office meeting became heated, with Trump accusing Zelenskyy of having a “tremendous hatred” for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy arguing that the U.S. would feel the effects if Ukraine lost the war.
• The meeting has caused mixed reactions in Ukraine and among U.S. lawmakers. Some Ukrainians support Zelenskyy’s stance, while others fear it may harm U.S.-Ukraine relations.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is still interested in signing a rare mineral proposal from the Trump administration. His comments come after a tense Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump where the leaders argued with each other about Russia’s war against Ukraine.

What is the mineral deal?

The Trump administration has proposed a deal that would give the U.S. the rights to some of Ukraine’s rare-earth minerals. The U.S. said the rare earth minerals would be used as “compensation” for the arms given to Ukraine by the Biden administration and for future arms deals.

The deal was first proposed to Ukrainian officials at the Munich Security Conference in February.

Zelenskyy told his officials to not sign the deal when it was first presented. He told The Associated Press that the deal was too focused on U.S. interests.

“I didn’t let the ministers sign a relevant agreement because in my view it is not ready to protect us, our interest,” Zelenskyy told the AP.

White House officials said Zelenskyy’s decision not to accept the proposal was “short-sighted.”

On Thursday, Feb. 27, Zelenskyy announced he would negotiate the mineral deal with Trump during his visit to the White House on Friday, Feb. 28.

The Ukrainian government formally backed the agreement on Wednesday, Feb. 26. However, Zelenskyy said final terms and approval depends on his meeting with Trump.

What happened during the Oval Office meeting?

On Friday, Trump Vice President JD Vance, White House staff and the media met with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. The meeting started cordial and polite but turned tense by the end of the meeting.

After about 40 minutes of discussion, Trump said Zelenskyy had a “tremendous hatred” toward Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said that hatred was making it hard for him to make a deal with Putin.

Vance then weighed in and said the only way to end the war was through diplomacy. After his comment, Zelenskyy directly asked Vance what kind of diplomacy he was asking for. Zelenskyy then started to list off the timeline of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine starting back in 2014 and all the failed diplomacy with Russia since then.

Vance and Zelenskyy began arguing at this point, with Vance telling Zelenskyy he misled visitors when they visited Ukraine. Zelenskyy then reminded Vance he had never visited Ukraine.

The tipping point with President Trump was when Zelenskyy said the U.S. would eventually feel the effects if Ukraine lost the war to Russia. Trump cut in and told Zelenskyy, he was in no position to “dictate what we’re going to feel.”

“You’re not in a good position … you’re gambling with the lives of millions of people, you’re gambling with World War III … and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country, that’s backed you,” Trump told Zelenskyy during the meeting.

What has the Trump administration said?

Directly following the meeting, Trump staffers ushered Zelenskyy and his staff out of the White House. The presidents were meant to have lunch following the meeting and following the planned signing of the rare earth mineral deal.

Trump posted on Truth Social, saying Zelenskyy disrespected the United States. However, he said Zelenskyy can come back once he’s “ready for Peace.”

“We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today. Much was learned that could never be understood without conversation under such fire and pressure. It’s amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations. … He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace,” Trump said in the post.

What has Zelenskyy said?

Following his meeting with Trump, Zelenskyy spoke to Fox News. During the interview, Zelenskyy didn’t apologize when asked. Instead, he thanked America and Congress for what they had done.

“I’m very thankful to Americans for all your support. You did a lot. I’m thankful to President Trump and to Congress for bipartisan support,” he said. “You helped us a lot from the very beginning, during three years of full-scale innovation, you helped us to survive.”

When he was asked again if he was sorry, he again said no and said the conversation about the war needs to be open and honest.

“No, I respect the president and I respect American people … I think that we have to be very open and very honest, and I’m not sure that we did something bad.”

How has Ukraine responded?

Following Trump and Zelenskyy’s recent meeting, many people in Ukraine are scared for their country’s future.

According to The Washington Post, some Ukrainians are rallying behind their president. Zelenskyy’s popularity soared in February after he suggested Trump was living in a “disinformation bubble.” They also say they saw Zelenskyy’s refusal to back down from Trump and Vance as evidence that he’s fighting for Ukraine, even against a much stronger world power.

However, others fear that regardless of personal feelings, Ukraine needs the U.S. to help defend itself from Russia. They saw the tense meeting as a misstep that did not soften the tone between the two countries. They also say the meeting could prevent a future meeting of the two leaders.

How have U.S. lawmakers responded?

Both Republicans and Democrats have been fierce supporters of Ukraine since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. However, the recent meeting may threaten to change that.

South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham called the meeting an “utter disaster” and said he’s “never been more proud” of President Trump.

“What I saw in the Oval Office was disrespectful and I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelenskyy again,” Graham said.

However, fellow Republican lawmaker, Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon, continued to support Ukraine despite the meeting.

“A bad day for America’s foreign policy. Ukraine wants independence, free markets and rule of law. It wants to be part of the West,” Bacon said. “Russia hates us and our Western values. We should be clear that we stand for freedom.”

Democrats were more united on Ukraine. Since the war began, almost every Democratic lawmaker has approved Ukrainian aid and arms deals whenever they have come up to vote.

Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he had strong hopes that the bipartisan support of Ukraine in Congress would hold following the meeting and more deals would be struck to support Ukraine.

“I have very strong hopes that the coalition we have in Congress — and it is a very strong bipartisan coalition — will be persuasive to the administration and others that we have a long-term national security interest in Ukraine prevailing over Putin’s brazen aggression,” Blumenthal said.

How is Ukraine’s relationship with the rest of the world?

After the meeting, Zelenskyy met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to discuss the war on Saturday, March 1.

Fellow European leaders also reacted to the meeting.

European Union Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas said the meeting proved that the U.S. can no longer be the world leader.

“Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge,” Kallas said.

Germany’s expected new chancellor Friedrich Merz similarly supported Zelenskyy. He said he vowed to stand with Ukraine “in good and in testing times.”

What’s next?

On X, Zelenskyy said he still wants to negotiate the minerals deal following his tense Oval Office visit.

However, he said that this deal would just be the start and he would need more reassurances and guarantees before any ceasefire is signed.

“It’s not enough, and we need more than just that. A ceasefire without security guarantees is dangerous for Ukraine. We’ve been fighting for three years, and Ukrainian people need to know that America is on our side.”