Trump, Zelenskyy showdown derails critical minerals deal: Full story behind the Oval Office blowup

A highly charged Oval Office meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday took an extraordinary turn when Trump berated Zelenskyy for being "disrespectful," leading to the abrupt cancellation of a critical minerals deal.

The diplomatic rupture, aired in front of the media, leaves the fate of the minerals deal—and future US aid to Ukraine—in question. The agreement, which would have allowed the US greater access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, was touted by Trump as a step toward ending Ukraine’s war with Russia.

However, a tense 45-minute exchange, culminating in Trump’s public rebuke of Zelenskyy, derailed the planned signing and a scheduled joint press conference.

Zelenskyy reminded the Trump administration that Ukraine, Germany and France had signed a ceasefire deal with Russia but Putin violated the agreement.

"All of them told me that he will never go … But after that, he broke the ceasefire, he killed our people, and he didn’t exchange prisoners," the Ukrainian president said.

"We signed the exchange of prisoners. But he didn’t do it. What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about? What do you mean?” he asked US Vice President JD Vance, who was sitting beside Trump.

Things got testy after Vance challenged Zelenskyy, telling him, “Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.”

Zelensky tried to object, prompting Trump to raise his voice and say, “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people.”

At one point, when Zelenskyy warned that the US could eventually “feel” the consequences of Russian expansionism, Trump snapped back: “You don’t know that. You don’t know that. 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.”

Trump pressed Zelenskyy to accept a ceasefire, arguing that Ukraine lacked the leverage to win the war without US support. “If you didn’t have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks,” he said, later adding, “You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards.”

"I’m not playing cards. I’m very serious, Mr. President. I’m very serious," Zelenskyy replied.

Zelenskyy, while reiterating Ukraine’s gratitude for US assistance, insisted that any ceasefire required firm security guarantees to prevent another Russian aggression.

Trump said, “Are you saying you don’t want a ceasefire? I want a ceasefire. Because you’ll get a ceasefire faster than an agreement.”

Following the explosive meeting, top Trump advisers asked Zelenskyy to leave the White House. The planned signing ceremony for the minerals deal was abruptly scrapped, raising uncertainty about future US military and economic assistance to Ukraine.

Transcript of the key moments of the exchange:

Vance: “For four years, the United States of America, we had a president who stood up at press conferences and talked tough about Vladimir Putin, and then Putin invaded Ukraine and destroyed a significant chunk of the country. The path to peace and the path to prosperity is, maybe, engaging in diplomacy. We tried the pathway of Joe Biden, of thumping our chest and pretending that the president of the United States’ words mattered more than the president of the United States’ actions. What makes America a good country is America engaging in diplomacy. That’s what President Trump is doing.”

Zelenskyy: “Can I ask you?”

Vance: “Sure. Yeah.”

Zelenskyy: “OK. So he (Putin) occupied it, our parts, big parts of Ukraine, parts of east and Crimea. So he occupied it in 2014. So during a lot of years — I’m not speaking about just Biden, but those times was (Barack) Obama, then President Obama, then President Trump, then President Biden, now President Trump. And God bless, now, President Trump will stop him. But during 2014, nobody stopped him. He just occupied and took. He killed people. You know what the --"

Trump: “2015?”

Zelenskyy: “2014.”

Trump: “Oh, 2014? I was not here.”

Vance: “That’s exactly right.”

Zelenskyy: “Yes, but during 2014 ‘til 2022, the situation is the same, that people have been dying on the contact line. Nobody stopped him. You know that we had conversations with him, a lot of conversations, my bilateral conversation. And we signed with him, me, like, you, president, in 2019, I signed with him the deal. I signed with him, (French President Emmanuel) Macron and (former German Chancellor Angela) Merkel. We signed ceasefire. Ceasefire. All of them told me that he will never go … But after that, he broke the ceasefire, he killed our people, and he didn’t exchange prisoners. We signed the exchange of prisoners. But he didn’t do it. What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about? What do you mean?”

Vance: “I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country. Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to 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 trying to bring an end to this conflict.”

Zelenskyy: “Have you ever been to Ukraine that you say what problems we have?”

Vance: “I have been to –”

Zelenskyy: “Come once.”

Vance: “I’ve actually watched and seen the stories, and I know that what happens is you bring people, you bring them on a propaganda tour, Mr. President. Do you disagree that you’ve had problems, bringing people into your military?”

Zelenskyy: “We have problems –”

Vance: “And do you think that is 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?”

Zelenskyy: “A lot of questions. Let’s start from the beginning.”

Vance: “Sure.”

Zelenskyy: “First of all, during the war, everybody has problems, even you. But you have nice ocean and don’t feel now. But you will feel it in the future. God bless –”

Trump: “You don’t know that. You don’t know that. 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.”

Zelenskyy: “I’m not telling you. I am answering on these questions.”

Trump: “Because you’re in no position to dictate that.”

Vance: “That’s exactly what you’re doing.”

Trump: “You are in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel. We’re going to feel very good.”

Zelenskyy: “You will feel influenced.”

Trump: “We are going to feel very good and very strong.”

Zelenskyy: “I am telling you. You will feel influenced.”

Trump: “You’re, right now, not in a very good position. You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position –”

Zelenskyy: “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.”

Zelenskyy: “I’m not playing cards. I’m very serious, Mr. President. I’m very serious.”

Trump: “You’re playing cards. You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III.”

Zelenskyy: “What are you speaking about?”

Trump: “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 have.”

Vance: “Have you said thank you once?”

Zelenskyy: “A lot of times. Even today.”

Vance: “No, in this entire meeting. You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October.”

Zelenskyy: “No.”

Vance: “Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country.”

Zelenskyy: “Please. You think that if you will speak very loudly about the war, you can –”

Trump: “He’s not speaking loudly. He’s not speaking loudly. Your country is in big trouble.”

Zelenskyy: “Can I answer —”

Trump: “No, no. You’ve done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble.”

Zelenskyy: “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.”

Zelenskyy: “Mr. President, we are staying in our country, staying strong. From the very beginning of the war, we’ve been alone. And we are thankful. I said thanks.”

Trump: “If you didn’t have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks.”

Zelenskyy: “In three days. I heard it from Putin. In three days.”

Trump: “Maybe less. It’s going to be a very hard thing to do business like this, I tell you.

Vance: “Just say thank you.”

Zelenskyy: “I said a lot of times, thank you, to American people.”

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.”

Zelenskyy: “I’m thankful.”

Trump: “You don’t have the cards. You’re buried there. People are dying. You’re running low on soldiers. It would be a damn good thing, and then you tell us, ‘I don’t want a ceasefire. I don’t want a ceasefire, I want to go, and I want this.’ Look, if you can get a ceasefire right now, I tell you, you take it so the bullets stop flying and your men stop getting killed.”

Zelenskyy: “Of course we want to stop the war. But I said to you, with guarantees.”

Trump: “Are you saying you don’t want a ceasefire? I want a ceasefire. Because you’ll get a ceasefire faster than an agreement.”

Zelenskyy: “Ask our people about a ceasefire, what they think.”

Trump: “That wasn’t with me. That was with a guy named Biden, who is not a smart person.”

Zelenskyy: “This is your president. It was your president.”

Trump: “Excuse me. That was with Obama, who gave you sheets, and I gave you Javelins. 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’ve 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.”

Culmination of weeks of frustration

The explosive confrontation between Trump and Zelenskyy at the White House was the culmination of weeks of mounting frustration within the Trump administration, as officials grew increasingly exasperated with the Ukrainian leader’s reluctance to align with their objectives, Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Trump and his aides viewed Zelenskyy as an impediment to their goals of securing a rapid resolution to the war in Ukraine, restoring ties with Moscow, and finalising a lucrative minerals deal, according to the report.

The highly anticipated minerals agreement, which would have granted the US. greater access to Ukraine’s rare earth resources, became a sticking point in the relationship, contributing to tensions that ultimately erupted in an extraordinary and public confrontation.

White House officials insisted there was no intention to ambush Zelenskyy, saying they believed the visit would highlight a breakthrough agreement. However, three individuals familiar with internal deliberations said tensions had been building for weeks, reported Reuters.

Attempts to finalise the minerals deal stalled over Ukraine’s concerns about sovereignty and long-term economic implications, deepening frustrations within the Trump administration.

By midweek, skepticism over the visit had already surfaced. "I don’t see why an invitation would make sense," Reuters quoted a White House official as saying.

Though an agreement was eventually reached for him to travel to Washington, Trump reportedly harboured other grievances.

In private discussions, Trump has repeatedly voiced dissatisfaction with Zelenskyy’s approach to securing US support, accusing him of leveraging media optics and congressional appeals to pressure Washington. Trump reportedly also discussed the possibility of pushing Ukraine toward elections as part of any peace process, questioning Zelenskyy’s legitimacy after his official five-year term expired in 2024. Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia’s invasion in 2022, preventing elections.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, speaking to reporters after the White House clash, said he had warned Zelenskyy to focus on economic agreements and delay security discussions. Describing the episode as an “utter disaster,” Graham said, “I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelenskyy again.”

Rare earth mineral deal

The deal would have granted the US access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, a critical resource for aerospace, defence, and nuclear industries.

In exchange, Ukraine was assured a long-term financial commitment from the United States for economic reconstruction.

The draft agreement did not include an earlier proposal from the Trump administration that sought $500 billion in mineral profits as compensation for US wartime assistance. Instead, it proposed the establishment of a Reconstruction Investment Fund, with Ukraine committing 50% of its future mineral, oil, and gas revenues—after operating expenses—until contributions reach the $500 billion mark.

While the fund aimed to aid Ukraine’s post-war recovery, it did not provide the security assurances that Kyiv had long sought in its negotiations with Washington. Zelenskyy previously rejected an earlier version of the deal that required Ukraine to hand over mineral rights without additional security commitments, arguing that any economic arrangement must be tied to protection against future Russian aggression.

“For me, it is very important to connect security guarantees with investment,” the Associated Press quoted Zelenskyy as saying.

Ukraine possesses substantial reserves of critical minerals, including lithium, gallium, and titanium—materials essential to the global technology and defence sectors. The country has deposits of 22 of the 34 minerals deemed critical by the European Union, including industrial metals, ferroalloys, and rare earth elements.

Ukraine’s vast ilmenite deposits, crucial for titanium production, could help the US reduce its reliance on China and Russia for strategic materials. The country also holds 20% of the world’s graphite resources, a key component in electric vehicle batteries and nuclear reactors.

Despite its mineral wealth, Ukraine’s industry has struggled due to ongoing conflict and regulatory challenges. Mining operations in the east have been disrupted by the war, and large portions of mineral-rich land remain unexplored or too close to the front lines for development.