President Donald Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should stop criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin and focus on making peace instead.
“He’s got to say I want to make peace. He doesn’t have to stand there and say ‘Putin this, Putin that,’ all negative things,” Trump told reporters outside the White House. He added: “He’s got to say, ‘I want to make peace, I don’t want to fight any longer.’” He doesn’t have the cards, just so you understand it, ok?”
Earlier, in a tense meeting at the White House, Trump criticized Zelensky, calling him “disrespectful” in front of reporters. What started as a polite discussion turned heated when Zelensky disagreed with Vice President Vance’s suggestion that diplomacy with Russia could help end the war.
Zelensky responded by pointing out Russia’s history of violence, including taking over Ukrainian land, breaking ceasefire agreements, and refusing to exchange prisoners.
“What do you mean?” Zelensky asked Vance.
“I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country,” Vance replied. “I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to 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 trying to bring an end to this conflict.”
“You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards,” Trump said raising his voice. “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 this country, that’s backed you far more than a lot of people said they should have.”
Vance then asked Zelensky if he had thanked the United States for its support during the meeting.
Zelensky responded, “Please, you think that if you will speak very loudly about the war…”
Trump interrupted, saying, “He’s not speaking loudly, your country’s in big trouble… you’re not winning this. You’re not winning this. You have a damn good chance of coming out okay because of us.”
Vance also criticized Zelensky for visiting an ammunition plant in Pennsylvania, calling it a campaign stop in support of the Biden administration.
“You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October. Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country,” Vance said.
Zelensky was repeatedly asked whether he had thanked the U.S. for the military support Ukraine has received since 2022.
“If you didn’t have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks,” Trump stated. “It’s going to be very hard to do business like this.”
Vance added, “Just say thank you. We know you’re wrong.”
The meeting, which was supposed to focus on a deal for the U.S. to access critical minerals in Ukraine, turned into a sharp exchange of words. Trump has argued the deal would help Ukraine’s economy and allow the U.S. to recover some of the money spent on supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
After the meeting, Trump posted on Truth Social, saying Zelensky was “not ready for peace” and hinted that he might stop talks with the Ukrainian president.
Monday marked the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began after Russia amassed troops on the border and demanded that Ukraine never join NATO.
Watch the clip below:
Trump says President Zelensky should be nicer to Vladimir Putin:
“He doesn’t have to stand there and say ‘Putin this, Putin that,’ all negative things. He’s got to say, ‘I want to make peace, I don’t want to fight any longer.’”
(It’s clear that Trump wants Ukraine to surrender… pic.twitter.com/2FuC681jIn
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) February 28, 2025
