Zelenskyy tells LBC Oval Office talks were 'open' but fears 'foes could take advantage' of them

2 March 2025, 21:40 | Updated: 2 March 2025, 21:54

President Zelenskyy said his heated conversation with President Trump could have been avoided if it was not as 'open' as the meeting can be 'exploited by foes'.

President Zelenskyy said that he does not think it was right that his conversation with Trump was "absolutely open".

The Ukrainian Leader told LBC's Andrew Marr that emotions and information could be taken advantage of by "foes" when broadcast across the world.

"I do not think that we shall carry on in such format to build strong relations," he said.

This comes as Trump and Zelenskyy exchanged heated words in the White House on Friday, resulting in the Ukrainian leader leaving negotiations.

"I do not think that it brought something positive or additional to us as partners," Mr Zelenskyy told Andrew Marr.

He told LBC that he did not want to discuss what happened, but he would admit that the "open" format did not work for peace talks.

President Zelenskyy speaks to Andrew Marr

"I'm sure that this situation, it will pass by and in the future there are more important things and if we will be constructive, the positive result will come.

"And if I'm right to understand, positive result means making the peace for Ukraine closer," Mr Zelenskyy reflected.

He said the invite to the White House was a great "gesture of respect", and he is grateful to the US as their "main partners" in the conflict.

"We always try to be politically correct, as correct as possible.

"I'm president of Ukraine, and I do not perceive my country as better than others, but definitely not worse than others," he said.

Read More: Keir Starmer unveils 'Coalition of the Willing' as he outlines four steps to peace in Ukraine

Mr Zelenskyy told Marr that he would go back for peace talks in Washington.

He said he would go "if I am invited for the constructive dialogue, to solve real issues, for serious questions and truly decisive answers and actions, because of respect to America, to American people and to president and to both parties to the United States overall."

Zelenskyy refused to apologise to President Trump after the shocking Oval Office meeting.

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.

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.

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 put on hold when Zelenskyy left the White House early after the astonishing scene.

Read More: King Charles welcomes Ukrainian leader Zelenskyy to Sandringham

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."

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.

It comes as Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and leaders from Germany, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Finland and Romania, as well as the head of NATO all attended the critical conference at Lancaster House in central London.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said "we are at a crossroads in history".

He said it is "time to step up" in Ukraine peace negotiations.

Sir Keir said: "We are at a crossroads in history today. This is not a moment for more talk. It's time to act."

The Prime Minister also announced a new deal allowing Ukraine to use £1.6 billion of UK export finance to buy 5,000 air defence missiles.

"This will be vital for protecting critical infrastructure and strengthen Ukraine," he said.