Russia and Putin · Second term · № 98
Told Zelensky "you don't have the cards" and said Putin "went through a hell of a lot with me"
“Let me tell you, Putin went through a hell of a lot with me. He went through a phony witch hunt where they used him and Russia.”
- Said
- , Oval Office meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine
- Subject
- Oval Office meeting
- Type
- Ukraine
- Topic
- Ukraine & Russia
- Era
- Second term
What happened
Zelensky came to the White House on February 28, 2025, expecting to sign an agreement giving the United States access to Ukrainian minerals. In front of cameras, Trump told him, "You don't have the cards right now," and "you're either going to make a deal or we're out." When a reporter asked what would happen if Russia broke a ceasefire, Trump gave the answer quoted above, a reference to the investigation of his 2016 campaign's contacts with Russia, and said of Putin, "He had nothing to do with it." He also said, "I'm not aligned with Putin. I'm not aligned with anybody." A scheduled joint news conference was canceled and Zelensky left without signing. Russian officials welcomed the exchange; Dmitry Medvedev called it "a brutal dressing-down in the Oval Office." On March 3 the White House paused U.S. military aid to Ukraine.
Sources
- Remarks Prior to a Meeting With President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine and an Exchange With Reporters
- Zelenskyy leaves the White House early after Trump meeting gets heated
- ‘A bigger victory for Putin than any military battle’: Russia gleeful after Trump-Zelenskyy clash
- ‘Went through a hell of a lot with me’: Trump claims strong bond with Russia’s Putin
- Trump pauses military aid to Ukraine after Oval Office argument with Zelensky, White House official says