“Don’t take the bait,” the South Carolina Republican cautioned, urging Zelenskyy to avoid engaging in contentious debates over security agreements, according to The New York Times. “I said, don’t get into arguments about security agreements,” Graham reiterated in an interview.
Despite the warning, the meeting quickly turned combative. Zelenskyy, seeking renewed US military support for Ukraine’s war effort, pressed for stronger American engagement.
His plea was met with sharp criticism from Trump and Vice President JD Vance, who accused him of ingratitude. The tense exchange, which played out in front of journalists, ended with Zelenskyy departing the White House abruptly, without securing a minerals-sharing deal that had been expected.
Trump has long advocated for Ukraine to negotiate a peace settlement with Moscow—an approach that has unsettled Kyiv and its European allies. When Zelenskyy arrived, Trump greeted him with a pointed remark about his military-style clothing. “Oh look, you’re all dressed up,” he quipped.
As discussions turned to Ukraine’s resistance against Russia, Trump grew visibly frustrated, pressing Zelenskyy on potential concessions to Moscow. Vance escalated the confrontation, accusing the Ukrainian leader of failing to appreciate US assistance.
Zelenskyy pushed back. “What kind of diplomacy, JD?” he shot back at Vance, listing diplomatic failures that preceded Russia’s full-scale invasion. The exchange quickly deteriorated, with Vance accusing Zelenskyy of disrespecting Trump, while Trump warned the Ukrainian leader that he was “gambling with World War III.”
Tensions peaked when Zelenskyy warned that Russian aggression posed a long-term threat, even to the US. “You have nice ocean and don’t feel now, but you will feel it in the future,” he said. At that, Trump abruptly ended the meeting, telling reporters the spectacle would make for “great television.”
Graham, who had initially positioned himself as a mediator, later told reporters that Zelenskyy should “resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or change.” Other Republican leaders echoed similar sentiments, either downplaying the confrontation or criticising Zelenskyy for not showing deference to Trump.
Zelenskyy remained defiant. In a later Fox News interview, he acknowledged the heated nature of the exchange but insisted his approach was necessary.
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