Just hours before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stepped into the Oval Office for his infamous meeting with President Donald Trump, he received a blunt warning from a US Senator.
“Don’t take the bait,” South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham advised, cautioning the Ukrainian leader against engaging in a heated debate with Trump, according to the New York Times. “I said, don’t get into arguments about security agreements,” Graham told the Times in an interview.
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When the meeting began, Zelensky voiced concerns over Ukraine’s war effort and the uncertainty surrounding US military aid. His petition for a more aggressive US engagement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict triggered an extraordinary confrontation. Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused him of lacking gratitude. What followed was an unprecedented public spat, unfolding in front of journalists and ending with Zelensky leaving the White House abruptly, without securing a minerals-sharing deal that had been widely expected to be signed.
Trump had repeatedly suggested that Ukraine should negotiate a peace deal with Moscow, a position that had alarmed both Zelensky and his European allies. When the Ukrainian leader arrived at the White House, Trump greeted him with a pointed remark about his usual military-style attire. “Oh look, you’re all dressed up,” Trump quipped.
During the widely shared interview, Trump, growing visibly frustrated, pressed Zelensky on Ukraine’s willingness to make concessions to Russia. Vance then joined the fray, accusing the Ukrainian leader of being “ungrateful” for the support the US had already provided.
Zelensky, rather than deflecting, pushed back. “What kind of diplomacy, JD?” he asked Vance, listing multiple failed diplomatic efforts that had preceded Russia’s full-scale invasion.
That exchange escalated quickly. Vance, angered by Zelensky’s direct challenge, accused him of disrespecting the US President. Trump, in turn, told Zelensky that he was “gambling with World War III.”
The tension reached a peak when Zelenskyy warned that Russian aggression was a long-term threat, including to the United States. “You have nice ocean and don’t feel now, but you will feel it in the future,” he said. That was enough for Trump. He ended the meeting abruptly, telling the press that the spectacle would make for “great television.”
Senator Graham, who had initially positioned himself as a mediator, later told reporters that Zelenskyy needed to “resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or change.” Other Republican leaders quickly followed suit, either downplaying the confrontation or blaming Zelensky for not showing respect to Trump.
Zelensky, for his part, remained defiant. In a later interview on Fox News, he acknowledged that the exchange had been heated but insisted that his approach had been necessary.