The meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House Friday got heated when the two world leaders and Vice President JD Vance had a spirited exchange.
The exchange among the three men in the Oval Office was the precursor to Trump booting Zelensky from the White House, telling him to return “when he is ready for Peace” in his country’s war against Russia.
Here is a transcript of the full exchange:
Zelensky: But after that, he broke this ceasefire. He killed our people, and he didn’t exchange prisoners. We signed the exchange of prisons, but he didn’t do it. What kind of diplomacy, JD, are you asking me about? What did it mean?
Vance: I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country.
Zelensky: Yes, but —
Vance: Mr. President, Mr. President, with respect. I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media. Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the president for being willing to bring an end to this conflict.
Zelensky: Have you — have you ever been to Ukraine? Have you seen what problems we have?
Vance: I have been to —
Zelensky: Come once.
Vance: I have actually — I’ve actually watched and seen the stories, and I know what happens is you bring people, you bring them on a propaganda tour, Mr. President. Are — Do you disagree that you’ve had problems bringing people into your military, and do you think that it’s respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?
Zelensky: A lot of — a lot of questions. Let’s start from the beginning.
Vance: Sure.
Zelensky: First of all, during the war, everybody has problems, even you, you have nice ocean and don’t feel now, but you will feel it in the future.
Trump: You don’t know that.
Zelensky: God bless you. God bless you —
Trump: Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel.
Zelensky: I’m not telling you, I’m not saying —
Trump: Because you’re in no position to dictate that. You’re in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel. We’re going to feel very good. We’re gonna feel very good and very strong.
Zelensky: You’re going to feel influence —
Trump: You’re right now not in a very good position. You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position, and he [Vance] happens to be right about it.
Zelensky: From the very beginning of the war —
Trump: You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards, but right now, you’re playing cards. You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III. You’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country, that’s backed you far more than a lot of people said they should.
Vance: Have you said thank you once in this entire meeting? No. You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October. Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country.
Zelensky: Please. You think that, if you will, speak very loudly about the war —
Trump: He’s not speaking loudly. He’s not speaking loudly. Your country is in big trouble. Wait a minute, no, no, you’ve done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble.
Zelensky: I know, I know.
Trump: You’re not winning. You’re not winning this. You have a damn good chance of coming out OK, because of us.
Zelensky: Mr. President, we are seeing in our country staying strong. From the very beginning of the war, we’ve been alone, and we are thankful. I said, thanks.
Trump: You haven’t been alone. We gave you, through this stupid president, $350 billion; we gave you military equipment. And your men are brave, but they have to use our military. If you didn’t have our military equipment. If you didn’t have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks.
Zelensky: In two days, I heard it from Putin, in three days. This is something —
Trump: Maybe less.
Zelensky: Of course, yes.
Trump: It’s going to be a very hard thing to do business like this, OK?
Vance: Just say thank you.
Zelensky: I said that all the time —
Vance: Accept that there are disagreements, and let’s go litigate those disagreements rather than trying to fight it out in the American media when you’re wrong. We know that you’re wrong.
Trump: But you see, I think it’s good for the American people to see what’s going on. I think it’s very important. That’s why I kept this going so long. You have to be thankful — you don’t have the cards.
Zelensky: I am thankful.
Trump: You’re buried there. Your people are dying. You’re running low on soldiers; listen, you’re running low on soldiers. It would be a damn good thing — then you tell us, ‘I don’t want a ceasefire. I don’t want to ceasefire. I want to go, and I want this.’ Look, if you could get a ceasefire right now, I’d tell you, you take it so the bullets stop flying and your men stop getting killed.
Zelensky: Yes, of course, we want to stop the war, but I —
Trump: But you’re saying you don’t want a ceasefire? I want to ceasefire because you get a ceasefire faster than an agreement.
Zelensky: Ask our people about a ceasefire, what they think.
Trump: That wasn’t with me. That wasn’t with me. That was with a guy named [former President Joe] Biden, who is not a smart person. That was — that was with [former President Barack] Obama.
Zelensky: This is your president, it was your president—
Trump: Excuse me, that was with Obama who gave you sheets, and I gave you javelins?
Zelensky: Yes
TRUMP CUTS SHORT ZELENSKY WHITE HOUSE VISIT AFTER OVAL OFFICE ERUPTION: ‘HE DISRESPECTED’ THE US
Trump: I gave you the javelins to take out all those tanks. Obama gave you sheets. In fact, the statement is, Obama gave sheets and Trump gave javelins. You got to be more thankful, because, let me tell you, you don’t have the cards. With us, you have the cards, but without us you don’t have any cards.
View the full exchange below:
President Trump and Vice President Vance will always stand for America and those who respect our position in the world. America will never be taken advantage of. pic.twitter.com/0cKfPYQDdk
