President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have criticized Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, for asking for security guarantees from the US. This happened during their meeting in the Oval Office.
Mr. Trump told Mr. Zelensky that his request was “disrespectful.” The Ukrainian leader wanted the US to promise to protect Ukraine from future Russian attacks. But Trump warned him that he was “gambling with the lives of millions of people” and risking “World War III.”
Trump, Vance, and Zelensky had a huge confrontation in the Oval Office. pic.twitter.com/LdXxV32HUN
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) February 28, 2025
Mr. Zelensky explained that Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin, cannot be trusted. He reminded Trump that Putin has broken promises before. However, Trump disagreed, saying Putin had never broken an agreement with him.
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Vice President Vance also accused Mr. Zelensky of being ungrateful. “Have you said ‘thank you’ once?” Vance asked. He believed Zelensky was rude when he debated Trump in front of American reporters.
Despite the tension, Ukraine and the US are expected to sign a crucial economic deal. The deal will help rebuild Ukraine after the war. However, security guarantees will be discussed separately in another meeting.
Ukraine wants firm promises to prevent another Russian attack. Many Ukrainians fear a weak peace deal would only give Russia time to prepare for another invasion.
A draft of the economic deal says Ukraine and the US will create an investment fund together. Ukraine will give the fund 50% of its future earnings from natural resources. This includes money from minerals, oil, and gas. A detailed agreement will be made later.
Trump wants Ukraine to repay the US for the weapons and money it received under President Joe Biden. But Mr. Zelensky insists that security guarantees must be part of any deal.
Trump has refused to promise any protection. “I’m not going to make security guarantees… very much,” he told reporters. He said that Europe should handle that responsibility.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have offered to send troops to Ukraine. They want to make sure Russia does not start fighting again after a peace deal. They met with Trump before Zelensky arrived to discuss their plans.
However, White House officials doubted that Europe could send enough troops. A senior Trump official said that a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine must happen first before European countries will send soldiers.
No one expects US troops to join any peacekeeping mission. However, European leaders want the US to provide intelligence, air support, and emergency help if needed.
“You’ve created a moment of tremendous opportunity to reach a historic peace deal,” Starmer told Trump. “But we have to get it right.”
Mr. Zelensky has not given clear details on what security guarantees he wants. He still hopes Ukraine can join NATO but is also open to a similar agreement.
During the meeting, Zelensky also wanted to know if the US would stop military aid to Ukraine. He asked if Ukraine could buy weapons directly and use frozen Russian assets to pay for them. He also wanted to know if the US would remove sanctions on Russia.
Featured image via Screengrab
