THE WHITE HOUSE — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tanked his own peace talks on Friday afternoon after he disrespected the American people in an Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump.
After the meeting, which saw Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance disabuse Zelensky of the notion that he was in any position to make a power play for more money and military aid, Trump announced, “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.”
“I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE,” Trump continued. “He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for peace.”
The unraveling of peace negotiations between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, brokered by Trump, came after Zelensky attempted to come into the Oval Office with a strong-man attitude and what appeared to be zero gratitude for the American people and their billions being spent on the war.
After Zelensky essentially blamed the American government from 2014 onward for Russian advances, he expressed skepticism of the use of diplomacy in ending the war, asking Trump and Vance, “What kind of diplomacy?”
“I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country, Mr. President [Zelensky],” Vance told him.
“I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media,” Vance continued. “Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the president for bringing an end to this conflict. … I’ve actually watched and seen the stories, and I know what happens is, you bring people, you bring them on a propaganda tour, Mr. President [Zelensky].”
Image CreditBreccan F. Thies / The Federalist
“Do you disagree that you’ve had problems bringing people into your military, and do you think that it’s respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is … trying to try to prevent the destruction of your country?” Vance added.
Zelensky started telling Trump and Vance that the Americans “don’t feel now” the effects of war because the United States has a “nice ocean,” while asserting that the U.S. would feel the effect “in the future.”
Trump cut him off, saying, “You don’t know that. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem.”
“You are in no position to dictate,” Trump said. “You are, right now, not in a very good position. You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position. … You don’t have the cards right now.”
“You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III. … What you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country, that’s backed you far more than a lot of people said they should have,” Trump continued.
Vance asked if Zelensky had even thanked the Americans once in the meeting, and then mentioned, as The Federalist reported, that Zelensky went and campaigned for Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania during the 2024 election.
“Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country,” Vance said.
“Please, you think that if you will speak very loudly about the war you can … ,” Zelensky started saying, before Trump said, “He’s not speaking loudly. … No, no, you’ve done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble.”
“You’re not winning, you’re not winning this. You have a d-mn good chance of coming out OK because of us,” Trump added.
Trump later said that he thought it was good camera and media were in the room so that the American people could see what’s going on. He went on to explain that Ukraine is in a very tough situation in the war, as that country is running low on troops and its people are getting slaughtered, despite the billions in American money.
Image CreditBreccan F. Thies / The Federalist
“Then you tell us: ‘I don’t want a ceasefire. I don’t want a ceasefire,’” Trump said. “Look, if you could get a ceasefire right now, I tell you, you’d take it so the bullets stop flying and your men stop getting killed.”
A minerals deal between Ukraine and the United States went unsigned, a joint press conference was canceled, and Zelensky left the White House shortly after the Oval Office meeting.
Breccan F. Thies is an elections correspondent for The Federalist. He previously covered education and culture issues for the Washington Examiner and Breitbart News. He holds a degree from the University of Virginia and is a 2022 Claremont Institute Publius Fellow. You can follow him on X: @BreccanFThies.
Jesus Christ is King
