Zelenskyy refuses to apologise to Trump after White House fight - as US president accuses him of not wanting peace
1 March 2025, 07:07 | Updated: 1 March 2025, 07:20
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has refused to apologise to Donald Trump after a White House meeting descended into a meltdown that shocked the world on Friday.
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The Ukrainian president said that he wanted his US counterpart "to be more on our side" in an interview after the meeting, which saw Trump accuse him of gambling with World War Three.
Plans for the two countries to sign a minerals agreement, which would see continued US military support in exchange for developing Ukraine's natural resources, were also put on hold when Zelenskyy left the White House early after the astonishing scene.
Zelenskyy said afterwards: "I'm not sure we did anything bad", when asked if he would like to make an apology.
He added: "We're thankful to Americans for all your support, you did a lot, I'm thankful to President Trump and Congress' bipartisan support," Zelensky said.
"You helped us a lot from the very beginning, you helped us to survive," he said in the Fox interview. "We are strategic partners."
Read more: Watch: Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy engage in fiery White House clash
He continued: "We have to be honest and we have to be direct with each other. Nobody wants to finish more than we because we are in this war, in this battle for freedom for our lives."
Speaking separately after their meeting, Trump accused Zelenskyy of wanting to "fight, fight, fight" while saying that he himself wanted to end the war.
But Zelenskyy insisted: "Ukraine wants peace and we will have diplomacy, we will have negotiations. It's about just and lasting peace, we have to be very strong at the table of negotiations."
He added: "I think this kind of spat is not good for both sides. I can't change our Ukrainian attitude to Russia. They are killers for us. This is very clear that Americans are the best friends, Europeans are the best friends.
"It doesn't mean that we don't want peace, we recognise the reality of the situation."
Friday's meeting descended into acrimony in front of the world's media, having begun relatively calmly. The problems appeared to begin after Vance raised the need for diplomacy.
Zelenskyy seemed to take issue with this, addressing the vice-president directly and saying that Putin could not be trusted, citing countless broken promises over the years.
Vance then accused Zelenskyy of being "disrespectful".
And with Zelenskyy warning that the US would feel the impact of the war if it continues, Trump interrupted saying: "Don't tell us what we're going to feel. We're trying to solve a problem."
"You don't have the card right now... you're gambling with the lives of millions of people... you're gambling with World War Three... and what you're doing is very disrespectful to this country," Trump added.
European leaders including Macron, von der Leyen and Starmer banded together in support of Ukraine in the hours that followed.
It comes as a late-night statement from No 10 saw the Prime Minister express his 'unwavering support for Ukraine' - as it revealed Starmer had spoken to both Trump and Zelenskyy following the fallout.
It comes as Starmer is set to hold talks with Ukraine’s leader and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni in Downing Street on Sunday.
The discussions also precede a major defence summit that's set to take place in London, with European leaders hoping to secure “lasting and enforced” peace in Ukraine.
The Oval Office meltdown left Ukraine's ambassador to the US cradling her head in her hands, with a subsequent press conference cancelled and a rare minerals deal, framed as a potential cornerstone of peace, left unsigned.
With Zelenskyy departing the White House early on Friday, Donald Trump was seen to hold an impromptu press conference with reporters as he arrived at Joint Base Andrews before boarding Air Force One on Friday afternoon.
Instant reaction to Trump and Zelenskyy's blazing row
Speaking on his earlier clash with Zelenskyy, Trump suggested the leader had overplayed his hand during White House talks.
"I think if you had a ceasefire, it would be a ceasefire, a real one and that would end it, but he [Zelenskyy] doesn't want to do that," Trump said.
In order to restart talks with the US, the leader said Zelenskyy must have a desire for peace.
"He wants to come back right now," Trump said of Zelenskyy's desire to negotiate, adding: "I can't do that".
Following the clash, Zelenskyy responded by saying he doesn't owe Donald Trump an apology, individually re-tweeting comments of support posted online with the message, "thank you for your support".
Responding to the clash, French president Emmanuel Macron told reporters: "There is an aggressor which is Russia. There is an aggressed people which is Ukraine.
"I think we were all right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago and to continue to do so."
German chancellor Olaf Scholz said: "Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians do. Therefore we are working on a common path to a lasting and just peace. Ukraine can rely on Germany – and on Europe."
And Polish PM Donald Tusk also said he would stand by Ukraine following the meeting.
Trump warns Zelensky ‘you’re gambling with World War Three’
The earlier testy exchange in the Oval Office saw both Trump and vice president JD Vance remark that Ukraine should be thankful for US support in the war.
Trump claimed he had empowered Zelenskyy to be a tough guy, adding: "You wouldn’t be a tough guy without us."
Following the intense interaction, Trump issued a statement saying Zelenskyy was "not ready for peace".
Trump had earlier said that the deal was "a big commitment from the US", with Zelenskyy adding that he hoped the agreement would be "a step forward for Ukraine".
However, relations quickly fell apart as the pair took media questions.
Addressing the ongoing war in Ukraine, Trump said that he was "in the middle" and "for both Ukraine and Russia".
He said he wanted to get the conflict between both countries "solved".
He insisted that he was not "aligned with Putin" but instead was aligned "with the US and good of the world".
Zelenskyy took the opportunity to show Trump images of prisoners of war held by Russia.
Read more: Prince Harry takes veiled swipe at Trump hours after King Charles issues surprise state visit invite
Earlier in the day, the US president greeted Zelenskyy at the White House with a handshake before the pair posed for cameras.
Trump was seen giving a thumbs up and raising a defiant fist during the brief moment.
Zelenskyy's delegation was expected to sign a landmark economic agreement with the US aimed at financing the reconstruction of war-damaged Ukraine, a deal that would closely tie the two countries together for years to come.
Although the deal, which was seen as a step toward ending the three-year war, references the importance of Ukraine's security, it leaves that to a separate agreement to be discussed between the two leaders.
However, both countries appear to have taken a step back in negotiations following their explosive meeting.
Leaders in Kyiv have pushed to ensure a potential US-brokered peace plan would include guarantees for the country's future security.
Many Ukrainians fear that a hastily negotiated peace - especially one that makes too many concessions to Russian demands - would allow Moscow to rearm and consolidate its forces for a future invasion after current hostilities cease.
Read more: Keir Starmer warns Putin may 'go again' in Ukraine and deal must be one 'that lasts'
Read more: Starmer to host Zelenskyy after Trump meetings - as PM declares UK 'all in' on backing Ukraine
Zelenskyy's visit comes after British PM Keir Starmer met with Trump on Thursday.
Speaking during a press conference, Starmer said the UK is "all in" when it comes to backing Ukraine.
It came days after he announced the UK would increase spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027 to deal with a "dangerous new era".
Sir Keir said history "must be on the side of the peace maker, not the aggressor", added that he and Trump had discussed plans to reach a peace which is "tough and fair".
The UK and US can both win and get things done when they work together, he said.
Sir Keir later told NBC News: "My concern is that we know, historically, that Putin might go again.
"He has ambitions in relation to Ukraine. And therefore, if there’s to be a deal, it has got to be a deal that lasts."
The Prime Minister has insisted that any deal should commit to "boots on the ground and planes in the sky" to limit future incursions into Ukrainian territory.
