President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance engaged in a fiery back-and-forth with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a public Oval Office meeting on Friday.
At one point, Trump wagged his finger at the Ukrainian leader, who was seated right next to him, and told him he had to “be thankful” after the U.S. during the Biden administration poured tens of billions in money and military assistance into the war-torn country following Russia’s 2022 invasion.
“It’s going to be a very hard thing to do business like this,” Trump said, before Vance broke in.
“You can say ‘thank you’ –” he began before Zelensky interrupted and said he had thanked “the American people” many times in the past for their help.
“You can accept that there are disagreements,” Vance continued, “and let’s go litigate those disagreements rather than trying to fight it out in the American media when you’re wrong. We know you’re wrong.”
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NOW – Trump to Zelensky in the Oval Office: “It’s going to be a very hard thing to do business like this.”pic.twitter.com/1xbAPiP4Yt
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“But you see, I think it’s good for the American people to see what’s going on,” he began. “You have to be thankful. You don’t have the cards. You’re buried there. Your people are dying. You’re running low on soldiers –” he continued as Zelensky continued trying to interrupt.
“No, listen,” Trump went on. “The you tell us, ‘I don’t want a cease fire. I don’t want a cease fire.’ Look — if you could get a cease-fire right now, I tell ya you’d take it so the bullets stop flying and your men stop getting killed.”
“Of course I want to stop the war,” Zelensky countered. “But I said to you with guarantees.”
“But you’re saying you don’t want a cease-fire,” Trump responded. “I want a cease-fire. Because you’ll get a cease-fire faster than you’ll get an agreement.”
At one point, per Fox News, Vance added: “Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media. 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 it, to bring it into this country.”
“Have you’ve ever been to Ukraine that you say what problems we have?” Zelenskyy shot back.
“I’ve actually watched and seen the stories and I know that what happens is you bring people, you bring them on a propaganda tour,” Vance continued. “Mr. President. 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 trying to prevent the destruction of your country?”
Zelenskyy continued that under war, “everybody has problems, even you” and that the U.S. would feel the war “in the future.”
“You don’t know that,” Trump responded as Zelenskyy said “God bless you” to Trump.
“Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel,” Trump continued.
“You are in no position to dictate that, remember that,” Trump said, as Zelenskyy defended that he was simply answering Vance’s questions.
“I feel we’re going to feel very good, very strong,” Trump said. “You’re 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. With us, you start having cards,” Trump said again, as Zelesnkyy said, “I’m not playing cards.”
“Yeah you’re playing cards,” Trump said. “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III. You’re gambling with World War III. And what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country.”