Trump and Zelensky news conference canceled after heated meeting
Hostile meeting: A meeting between President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky devolved into a shouting match at the Oval Office today, with the US president berating Ukraine’s leader and Vice President JD Vance questioning whether Zelensky had demonstrated enough gratitude for US support. Read our fact check on how often Zelensky has expressed thanks.
• Oval Office fallout: Zelensky told Fox News he doesn’t feel he needs to apologize to the US president. Trump, while leaving the White House, said Zelensky was “not a man that wanted to make peace,” while claiming Russian President Vladimir Putin does. Trump also said he wants an immediate ceasefire.
• Mass firings: More layoffs are possible today at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration after around 800 employees were tapped yesterday for termination, according to two sources.
A remarkable shouting match broke out in the Oval Office on Friday between President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, an extraordinarily fractious display that only underscored the deeply uncertain future of American assistance to Kyiv.
Castigating Zelensky for not demonstrating enough gratitude for American support, Trump and his Vice President JD Vance raised their voices, accusing the besieged leader of standing in the way of a peace agreement with Russia as the full-scale invasion has surpassed its third year.
What was said:
Huge blow to relations: The relationship between Trump and Zelensky “seems irreparable,” a US official told CNN, who raised the possibility of the Ukrainian leader stepping down. It’s “disastrous,” the official said. “Not clear how the bilateral relationship proceeds while Zelensky is still in charge … unless he can find a way to make this right with [Trump].”
Separately, Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was part of a bipartisan group of senators who met with Zelensky earlier, warned that Zelensky “is either going to have to fundamentally change or go.”
After the meeting: Following the exchange, the two leaders went into separate rooms and Trump ordered the Ukrainians be told to leave, a White House official said. The Ukrainians protested and wanted to continue the talks. But they were told no, a White House official said. A scheduled joint press conference was scrapped and Zelensky departed in his black SUV without signing a planned agreement on providing US access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals.
Trump and Zelensky’s reactions: Trump posted online that his counterpart was not welcome back until he was “ready for peace.” Zelensky posted on X, “Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people.” Ukraine’s Defense Ministry also reacted on Telegram: “We have our own things to do. Glory to Ukraine.”
Russian reaction: Kirill Dmitriev, a special envoy to Russian President Vladimir Putin, reacted to a video of the exchange on X with one word: “historic.” The headline from Russia state news agency TASS said Zelensky “interrupted, argued and was rude to the press.” A headline by another Russian state media outlet, RIA Novosti, read: “Zelensky’s Hysteria in the White House Shocks the Rada,” referring to the Ukrainian parliament.
Earlier today: Zelensky said he met with a bipartisan US Senate delegation, where the discussion focused on “continued military assistance for Ukraine, relevant legislative initiatives,” his upcoming meeting with Trump and security guarantees. He also said he was “grateful for the unwavering bicameral and bipartisan support.”
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reports on key moments of the fiery meeting:
Trump suggests Zelensky doesn’t want to make peace while Putin does
President Donald Trump suggested Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was “not a man that wanted to make peace,” while claiming Russian President Vladimir Putin does want to end the war.
The Russian president by contrast, Trump said, “is going to want to make it, he wants to make it, he wants to end it.”
The comments from Trump came after an earlier meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart devolved into an angry exchange over the nature of US support and whether Zelensky had shown enough gratitude.
Asked whether he was considering cutting off military aid to Ukraine, Trump responded: “It doesn’t matter what I’m considering. I’m just telling you: You saw what I saw today. That was not a man that wanted to make peace, and I’m only interested if he wants to end the bloodshed.”
Trump says he wants a ceasefire now and that Zelensky cannot win war if he "fights it out"
President Donald Trump said he wants an immediate ceasefire and said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky won’t be able to win if he “fights it out” without the US, further berating his Ukrainian counterpart in his first comments to reporters after ordering him out of the White House earlier today.
Canada will stand with Ukraine, prime minister says
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday his country would “continue to stand with Ukraine” following the fractious meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump.
Zelensky says he doesn’t think he needs to apologize to Trump
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky told Fox News’ Bret Baier Friday that he doesn’t feel he needs to apologize to US President Donald Trump after a heated exchange at the White House.
Trump administration terminates funds for program supporting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, source says
The US Agency for International Development’s $25 million contribution to an initiative to support Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure against Russian attacks was terminated this week, according to a source familiar.
NBC News was first to report.
Some context: The termination was among thousands foreign assistance awards canceled this week and came ahead of President Donald Trump’s contentious meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The money was for the Ukraine Energy Support Fund, which supports the Ukrainian government’s effort to support and repair their energy infrastructure, which has faced relentless Russian attacks throughout the course of the war.
Although the cancellation occurred before the Friday meeting between Trump and Zelensky, it comes amid a radical shift in policy toward Ukraine that has left some longtime diplomats shocked.
“I’m literally sick to my stomach,” one diplomat told CNN Friday.
“I fear for the fallout,” they said, predicting that “no one in Ukraine will sleep well tonight.”
Air raid sirens go off in Kyiv
Air raid sirens sounded in Kyiv on Friday night, as Russia continued its bombardment of Ukraine, while drone attacks hit the regions of Odesa and Kharkiv.
The Kharkiv region was hit in a separate drone attack, according to local Ukrainian officials. The mayor of Kharkiv said one of the drone strikes hit a medical facility with people inside and caused a fire there.
Russian forces have killed dozens of Ukrainian civilians in drone and missile attacks in the less than three weeks since US President Donald Trump held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, after which Trump said he was convinced the Russian leader wants to end the war. Yet Russia has continued to launch waves of deadly attacks every day since then.
Russia has deployed as many as 267 drones in a single day, according to the Ukrainian Airforce. At least 62 civilians have been killed and 293 others, including many children, have been injured, according to a CNN count based on statements from Ukrainian officials.
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