Zelensky Posts Tweet Thanking ‘POTUS, Congress, and the American People’ After White House Meeting Explodes

Yves Herman, Pool Photo via AP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a statement of thanks to the American people and the White House Friday afternoon after President Donald Trump reportedly asked him to leave the White House following a heated meeting.

Trump, Zelensky, and Vice President JD Vance were involved in a tense back-and-forth about ending Ukraine’s three-year defensive war against Russia.

After several minutes of castigating Zelensky in front of the White House press pool and those watching on TV, Trump ended the meeting.

Fox News reported that Zelensky sought to reset talks with Trump in the moments after leaving the White House.

Trump was reportedly not interested and told Ukraine’s president only to return when he was ready to agree to peace. Zelensky posted the following message on X about an hour after the meeting:

Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that. 

During Friday’s disastrous meeting, Trump and Zelensky argued in the following exchange:

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 —

TRUMP: Because you’re in no position to dictate that remember this…You’re in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel. We’re going to feel very good.

ZELENSKY: You will feel influence —

TRUMP: We’re going to feel very good and very strong. You’re right now not in a very good position. You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position and he 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.

ZELENSKY: I’m not playing cards. I’m very serious Mr. President —

TRUMP: You are playing cards. You are gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III! You’re gambling with World War Three! 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!