President Donald Trump has issued a statement following a heated exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, abruptly stalling a hotly anticipated minerals agreement between the two nations.
Trump and Vance attacked Zelenskyy in a remarkable Oval Office exchange today.
— POLITICO (@politico) February 28, 2025
“You’ve done enough talking. You’re not winning this,” Trump said, raising his voice. “You have a damn good chance of coming out okay because of us.” https://t.co/QtxVtx6gXZ pic.twitter.com/YfFfFBOd39
Trump’s Statement on Peace and U.S. Involvement
Shortly after the exchange, Trump posted on Truth Social:
“He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
“I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations. I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE.”
Friday’s scheduled joint press conference between Trump and Zelensky was canceled, and the mineral deal—initially set to be signed—was postponed indefinitely.
Zelensky Leaves White House Without Agreement
Following Trump’s post, Zelensky’s motorcade departed the White House, signaling the end of the negotiations. The two leaders had been set to finalize an agreement granting the U.S. access to Ukraine’s critical mineral resources.
🚨 BREAKING: Zelensky just left the White House.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 28, 2025
He's not coming back, Trump says, until he's ready for peace.
H/t @PhilipWegmann pic.twitter.com/OrOi5dtneX
Inside the Minerals Deal: What Was at Stake?
The proposed agreement aimed to secure U.S. access to Ukraine’s valuable mineral deposits, including oil and gas. Initially, Washington demanded $500 billion worth of mineral wealth as compensation for past military aid, a condition later removed after Kyiv’s pushback.
The revised deal structured a joint investment fund, requiring Ukraine to contribute 50% of revenues from monetizing its state-owned mineral resources. These funds would be allocated to projects benefiting both nations, though the deal lacked explicit U.S. security guarantees—a key demand from Kyiv.
With negotiations now at an impasse, the future of peace in Ukraine and the mineral deal remains uncertain. While both sides had inched toward a more balanced agreement, lingering concerns over security and Ukrainian sovereignty have sparked a rift between the Trump administration and its Ukrainian counterpart.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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Zelensky either shows respect to America and President Trump and Vice President Vance, and agrees to peace…or he is on his own. At
Least, that’s what I think.
I urge everyone to watch the vbideo. You will see President Trump and Vice-President Vance openly conducting US foreign affairs by belittling and berating Zelensky. Zelensky, the guy who didn’t run away when Putin attacked Ukraine and everyone – including the Biden admin – expected Kiev and the entire nation to be absorbed into Russia just like Crimea had been during Obama’s feckless reign. Zelensky, the guy who famously said, when he was offered refuge of the same sort that Idi Amin got in Saudi Arabia back in the day, as if Zelensky, like Amin, was some sort of criminal, “I don’t need a ride, I need bullets!” Zelensky, the guy who led his people in gladly testing US and NATO weapons systems for us in real warfare so we could see just how well they would do against what was then believed to be the very formidable Russian military. Zelensky, the guy who headed the very costly – in Ukrainian blood, not just dollars and euros – and surprisingly successful effort to stop Putin in his tracks, who gave Putin at least a sniffle if not an actually bloody nose, who gave both Finland and Sweden not only the motivation but the time to quickly join NATO before Putin could set his sights on them. Imagine Europe today had Putin done as was expected, as everyone expected he would do! Would it be a safer world? Would the PRC/CCP have held off taking over Taiwan after seeing what US/NATO weapons can do? To the extent that the world is safer now with Putin’s designs stymied for now, it is only Zelensky and his people that the world has to thank for avoiding that. And did THEY get any thanks for that? Did the Finns and Swedes or anyone else thank them? Whaty happened here aty the White House today is not American leaders being tough and realistic, much less putting America first. This is an appalling and embarrassing display of ignorant American gleeful offensiveness, utter lack of understanding, pointless rancor and just plain stupidity. Many of those who voted for Donald Trump, if they watch this, and even if they agree with other things Trump is doing, will feel ashamed to be an American.