Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hopes to mend ties with President Donald Trump after an Oval Office meeting turned into an angry spat on Friday.
In the first interview after the disastrous meeting, Zelenskiy told Fox News that the spat was “not good for both sides, but the relationship between the two sides could be salvaged. Zelenskiy refused to apologize to Trump for the Oval Office spat, noting “I think that we have to be very open and very honest.”
The Ukrainian leader acknowledged that “this kind of spat is not good for both sides.”
Zelenskiy’s remarks come after Trump publicly berated him for being “disrespectful” to the US and “gambling with World War III.” US Vice-President JD Vance ordered Zelenskiy to say thank you to Trump.
During the meeting, Zelenskiy was talked over, shouted at but remained his posture. A planned press conference related to the singing of minerals deal was cancelled following the meeting. Trump ordered Zelenskiy to leave the White House, saying Ukrainian could return after they were ready for peace. Posting in social media hours after the meeting Trump wrote that the Ukrainian leader did not seem like a man “that wanted to make peace”.
Following the meeting, EU leaders rushed to rally support for Zelenskiy and Ukraine. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas reiterated unwavering support for Kyiv and called for the replacement of the leader of the free world.
Posted on X, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha praised Volodymyr Zelenskyy for “bravery”. “He stands up for Ukraine and the goal of a just and lasting peace. We have always been and will continue to be grateful to America for its support,” Sybiha wrote.
