Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy left the White House on Friday after a heated exchange with President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, reportedly without signing the rare minerals deal Trump claimed is worth $500 billion.
After Trump and Vance berated the Ukrainian leader for being ungrateful for the financial assistance his country has received, among several other points, Zelenskyy allegedly left in a rush. Trump and Zelenskyy's press conference, scheduled for Friday afternoon, was also canceled, according to X posts from CNN's White House correspondent.
The press conference is off and the Ukrainians are about to leave the White House. https://t.co/hWuZP5miOf
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) February 28, 2025
Zelenskyy initially flew to Washington to speak with the Trump administration and finalize an agreement that would allow the two nations to develop and monetize Ukraine's deposits of rare earths, critical minerals, oil, gas and other natural resources in exchange for the U.S. backing Zelenskyy in his country's war against Russia, Reuters reported.
Their meeting devolved into both the president and vice president accusing the Ukrainian leader of being ungrateful for the U.S.' financial backing as its war with Russia continues. At one point, they also criticized Zelenskyy for calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a "terrorist" and accusing him of "gambling with WWIII."
Following the spectacular blowout, one world leader has already come to Zelenskyy's defense. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk shared an X post stating that the Ukrainian leader and the nation's people are not alone.
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