Trump and Vance Rebuke Zelensky During White House Meeting: Live Updates - The New York Times

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A meeting between President Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine in the Oval Office turned fractious on Friday.Credit...Doug Mills/The New York Times PinnedUpdated Feb. 28, 2025, 1:10 p.m. ET

Peter Baker

White House reporter

Tempers flare and voices are raised in a remarkably fractious meeting.

President Trump and Vice President JD Vance loudly berated President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Friday in an explosive televised shouting match unlike any seen in the Oval Office between an American president and foreign leader in modern times.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance castigated Mr. Zelensky for not being grateful enough for U.S. support in its war with Russia and sought to strong-arm him into making a peace deal on whatever terms the Americans dictate. With voices raised and tempers flaring, Mr. Trump threatened to abandon Ukraine altogether if Mr. Zelensky did not go along.

Talking over the Ukrainian leader, Mr. Vance told Mr. Zelensky that it was "disrespectful" for him to come to the Oval Office and make his case in front of the American news media and demanded that he thank Mr. Trump for his leadership. Mr. Trump jumped in and told the Ukrainian leader, "You're not really in a good position right now" and that "you're gambling with World War III."

"You're either going make a deal or we're out," Mr. Trump added. "And if we're out, you'll fight it out and I don't think it's going to be pretty."

The exchange in front of television cameras was one of the most dramatic moments ever to play out in public in the Oval Office and underscored the radical break between the United States and Ukraine since Mr. Trump took office. Mr. Trump has effectively sided with Russia while falsely blaming Ukraine for starting the war and calling Mr. Zelensky a "dictator."

Despite Mr. Trump's claim last week, it was Russia that first attacked Ukraine in 2014 and then mounted a full-scale invasion in 2022. Although Ukrainian elections have been suspended for the past three years under martial law, Mr. Zelensky became president on the back of a landslide election victory in 2019. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, by contrast, is an actual dictator whose elections have been widely dismissed as frauds and who faces an international arrest warrant for war crimes.

ImagePresident Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine at the White House on Friday.Credit...Eric Lee/The New York Times

Mr. Trump had seemed to be trying to put his rift with Mr. Zelensky to the side on Thursday before their meeting at the White House, brushing off a question about whether he still considers the Ukrainian leader a dictator.

"Did I say that?" Mr. Trump asked. "I can't believe I said that. Next question."

At a later news conference with Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain, Mr. Trump did not respond to a question about whether he owed Mr. Zelensky an apology for calling him a dictator. "We're going to have a very good meeting," he said. "I have a lot of respect for him."

His sharp language last week about Mr. Zelensky contrasted with his assessment of Mr. Putin, whom he has only praised since winning a second term. Just this week, the president called Mr. Putin "a very smart guy" and "a very cunning person." He said that he believes that Mr. Putin really wants peace and added on Thursday that "he'll keep his word" if a deal is reached, despite multiple Russian violations of agreements in the past.

While he has spoken with Mr. Putin by telephone, Mr. Trump has given little sense of how he expects to negotiate either a cease-fire or an enduring peace agreement. During last year's campaign, he promised to end the war within 24 hours and to do so even before his inauguration, neither of which he actually did.

During Thursday's news conference with Mr. Starmer, Mr. Trump expressed a mix of optimism and fatalism about his chances of making peace. "I think it's going to happen, hopefully quickly," he said. "If it doesn't happen quickly, it may not happen at all."

Mr. Starmer and other European leaders have offered to contribute troops to a multinational peacekeeping force on the ground in Ukraine after the fighting halts. But Mr. Trump resisted pressure to commit U.S. forces to help, even without ground troops, or to offer security guarantees to Ukraine against renewed Russian aggression.

Since taking office, Mr. Trump has demanded that Ukraine turn over some of its natural resources as payback for military aid provided under President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to defend itself against Russia. While Mr. Trump has falsely claimed that the United States has contributed $350 billion and Europe only $100 billion, in fact, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Europe has allocated $138 billion compared with $119 billion from the United States.

Under a draft of the rare minerals agreement reviewed by The New York Times, Ukraine would contribute half of its revenues from the future monetization of natural resources, including critical minerals, oil and gas. Mr. Trump characterized the deal on Thursday as an economic development boon. "It'll be good for both countries," he said.

Show moreFeb. 28, 2025, 1:03 p.m. ET

Robert Jimison

Earlier this morning, Republican and Democratic senators met with Zelensky, some posting smiling selfies with him and some anticipating a signing ceremony for a mineral deal in a few hours. The contrast between that meeting and what transpired inside the Oval Office is a strikingly public display of the divide between President Trump's approach to this war and the sentiment of many Republican defense hawks on Capitol Hill.

Feb. 28, 2025, 1:01 p.m. ET

Andrew E. Kramer

Zelensky showed photographs of prisoners of war who had been abused in Russia, making a point that the war is about more than money to be made in mining. Zelensky is trying hard to include a prisoner exchange in any agreement.

ImageCredit...Doug Mills/The New York TimesSKIP ADVERTISEMENTFeb. 28, 2025, 12:57 p.m. ET

Erica L. Green

White House reporter

At the same time, Trump sought to rebuff claims that he's aligned with Putin in brokering a deal to end Russia's war on Ukraine, saying that he was "not aligned with anybody" in the war. "I'm aligned with the United States of America," he said, "and for the good of the world. I'm aligned with the world."

Feb. 28, 2025, 12:56 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

White House reporter

Trump is clearly defending Putin. And while Trump is always in favor of set pieces, this was clearly organic.

Feb. 28, 2025, 12:55 p.m. ET

Erica L. Green

White House reporter

​Trump has falsely claimed that Ukraine started the war, has refused to acknowledge Russia's invasion of the country, and has disparaged Zelensky as a "dictator" while refusing to call Putin one. During the heated meeting at the Oval Office on Friday, he said that Zelensky's "hatred" for Putin — the actual dictator who invaded Ukraine — might be the reason the invasion won't end. "You see the hatred he's got for Putin," Trump said. "That's very tough for me to make a deal with that kind of hate."

Feb. 28, 2025, 12:55 p.m. ET

Andrew E. Kramer

Amid the crosstalk and angry commentary, Trump and Zelensky argued over a matter of huge importance for Ukraine: whether a cease-fire should come before a deal on security guarantees. Zelensky says Putin cannot be trusted, so guarantees are needed.

SKIP ADVERTISEMENTFeb. 28, 2025, 12:54 p.m. ET

Andrew E. Kramer

Zelensky has tried to walk a fine line with Trump, though it unraveled today. He tried to avoid angering the leader of a vital ally but pushed back on Trump's narratives when he felt he had no choice, such as Trump's claim that Ukraine started the war.

Feb. 28, 2025, 12:53 p.m. ET

Tyler Pager

White House reporter

Zelensky flashed a thumbs up as reporters were escorted out of the Oval Office.

Feb. 28, 2025, 12:49 p.m. ET

Peter Baker

White House reporter

Trump occasionally got into testy exchanges on camera with Democratic leaders like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer in his first term but those pale in comparison to this explosion of temper.

Feb. 28, 2025, 12:49 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

White House reporter

"You're not acting at all thankful," Trump says, saying it will be "great television" as he ends the meeting.

SKIP ADVERTISEMENTFeb. 28, 2025, 12:48 p.m. ET

Peter Baker

White House reporter

Trump threatens Zelensky. "You're either going to make a deal or we're out."

VideoFeb. 28, 2025, 12:48 p.m. ET

Tyler Pager

White House reporter

"If we're out, you'll fight it out. I don't think it will be pretty," Trump says."

Feb. 28, 2025, 12:48 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

White House reporter

This is the angriest I've seen Trump publicly in a long time. Trump is angry that he isn't getting thanked and is being challenged.

ImageCredit...Doug Mills/The New York TimesFeb. 28, 2025, 12:46 p.m. ET

Peter Baker

White House reporter

Never has an American president lectured the leader of an ally in public like this, much less the leader of a country that is fighting off invaders.

Feb. 28, 2025, 12:45 p.m. ET

Peter Baker

White House reporter

I have covered the White House since 1996. There has never been an Oval Office meeting in front of cameras like this in all that time.

SKIP ADVERTISEMENTFeb. 28, 2025, 12:45 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

White House reporter

Trump is bellowing as loudly as he ever does in public.

Feb. 28, 2025, 12:45 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

White House reporter

"You've allowed yourself to be in a very bad position," Trump says, again suggesting Russia's invasion is Ukraine's fault. Vance demands to know whether Zelensky has said "thank you" once, noting that Zelensky campaigned in Pennsylvania for Kamala Harris.

Feb. 28, 2025, 12:43 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

White House reporter

Zelensky was hoping for a moment with Trump that could be seen as some form of support from the United States. Instead, it became a two-on-one fight because Zelensky didn't agree with Trump's view.

Feb. 28, 2025, 12:39 p.m. ET

Peter Baker

White House reporter

With raised voices, President Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Friday in a remarkably fractious White House meeting, accusing Zelensky of not being grateful enough for U.S. support and trying to strong-arm him into making a peace deal with Russia

SKIP ADVERTISEMENTFeb. 28, 2025, 12:39 p.m. ET

Peter Baker

White House reporter

Vance told Zelensky that it was "disrespectful" for him to come to the Oval Office and make his case in front of the news media, while Trump told the Ukrainian leader, "You're not really in a good position right now."

At one point, Trump said, "You either make a deal or we are out."

ImageCredit...Doug Mills/The New York TimesFeb. 28, 2025, 12:29 p.m. ET

Robert Jimison

A bipartisan group of senators held a private meeting with Zelensky before his meeting with President Trump at the White House. There seems to be wide praise of the mineral deal agreement between the United States and Ukraine. Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, lauded President Trump's ability to swiftly craft an agreement that would hand over revenues from natural resources to the United States.

"This is Donald Trump the dealmaker and peacemaker on display," Graham said in a video before heading to the White House to attend the signing ceremony.

Feb. 28, 2025, 12:30 p.m. ET

Robert Jimison

Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, said the deal was a "start toward strengthening support for Ukraine" and praised the economic benefits for both countries.

Still, he said there was a need for security guarantees and said in a statement that he deeply regrets "the underlying premise of this agreement that Ukraine must pay America for its defense, and that Ukrainian resources should be exploited for that purpose."

Feb. 28, 2025, 12:11 p.m. ET

Luke Broadwater

President Trump plans to sign an executive order on Friday declaring English the official language of the United States. The order would rescind a Clinton-era mandate that required agencies and recipients of federal funding to provide language assistance to non-English speakers, but would allow agencies to keep current policies and provide documents and services in other languages, according to a White House official.

Feb. 28, 2025, 12:10 p.m. ET

Madeleine Ngo

Reporting from Washington

Federal workers are expected to get another email asking them to detail their accomplishments.

ImageElon Musk during a meeting of President Trump's cabinet members on Thursday. Officials at some agencies defied Mr. Musk's orders and told workers to pause or not respond to the previous email. Credit...Doug Mills/The New York Times

Federal workers are expected to receive another email as soon as Saturday asking them to describe what they achieved this past week, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The email will come directly from agencies' human resources division this time, instead of from the Office of Personnel Management, the person said. The decision comes after O.P.M. leaders met with agency representatives yesterday and advised them to send out the emails, according to the person. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The decision to send out another round of emails was first reported by The Washington Post.

Last Saturday, federal workers received an email from the Office of Personnel Management, the government's human resources arm, instructing them to detail their achievements from the past week by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Monday.

"Please reply to this email with approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week and cc your manager. Please do not send any classified information, links, or attachments," the email read.

The email blast came out after the billionaire Elon Musk said on social media that workers would be receiving the message shortly, and that failure to respond would be "taken as a resignation." Although Mr. Musk said he was acting at the encouragement of President Trump, the directive sowed chaos across the federal government.

Over the weekend, officials at some agencies defied Mr. Musk's orders and told workers to pause or not respond to the email. By Monday afternoon, the Office of Personnel Management informed agencies that they did not have to require employees to respond to the email.

Show moreSKIP ADVERTISEMENTFeb. 28, 2025, 12:05 p.m. ET

Andrew E. Kramer

Trump has been firm on ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine but did say earlier this week he would try hard to get land back, a positive statement for Ukraine but one seen in Ukraine as unrealistic. In a war where every yard is fiercely fought over, they don't see Russia stepping back voluntarily.

SKIP ADVERTISEMENTFeb. 28, 2025, 11:00 a.m. ET

Apoorva Mandavilli

A 4-year-old boy dies of ebola in Uganda as the U.S. pulls back on help.

ImageThe Ministry of Health headquarters in Kampala, Uganda, in January.Credit...Hajarah Nalwadda/Getty Images

The Ebola outbreak in Uganda, which had seemed to be in retreat, has claimed a new victim: a 4-year-old boy who died on Monday, according to a State Department cable viewed by The New York Times.

News of the child's death comes even as the Trump administration has canceled at least four of the five contracts with organizations that helped manage the outbreak. It also placed the manager of the Ebola response at U.S.A.I.D. on administrative leave.

Uganda's Ministry of Health informed U.S. officials of the death on Thursday. The confirmed case has not yet been announced by the Ugandan government nor the World Health Organization, but federal officials involved in the response alerted the White House on Thursday night.

"Continued support from the terminated awards is not only vital to save lives but also vital in protecting the health and security of the United States and global community," William W. Popp, the U.S. ambassador to Uganda, wrote in the cable.

Uganda has experienced a serious Ebola outbreak since January that had appeared to be receding. The new case brings the total number of cases to 10, including two deaths. The first known fatality, a 32-year-old nurse, was reported in late January.

The boy's family had sought care for him at three different hospitals, the cable said, and he died at the third, Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala. His three siblings were reportedly ill but have recovered, according to the child's father.

The boy's mother and her newborn infant died of unknown causes in January, the cable said.

The boy's death is an indication that the virus is still circulating, and the country has returned to a more active response, according to the cable. Officials in Uganda have begun investigating the death, tracing the child's contacts and sequencing the virus.

U.S.A.I.D. was heavily involved in the Ebola response in Uganda, but in recent weeks the Trump administration has hobbled its operations, cutting the number of people involved in outbreaks from more than 50 to just six.

Although U.S.A.I.D. is not the only supporter of the outbreak response, it has been an important one. For example, the federal Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response may provide treatments, and U.S.A.I.D. may purchase the filter pumps that deliver the treatment.

The terminated U.S.A.I.D. contracts funded Ebola screening at Ugandan airports and protective equipment for health workers, and helped prevent transmission by survivors of the disease, according to a former agency official who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation.

At the airport in Entebbe, Uganda, screening was on pause for more than two weeks because of the Trump administration's freeze on foreign aid, according to the official. The group that was doing it, the International Organization for Migration, decided a few days ago to resume work with its own funds. Its contract was terminated on Wednesday night.

The first Ebola patient in the current outbreak had gone to six health care facilities before he died, prompting the Ugandan government to ask the United States for protective gear for health workers.

U.S.A.I.D. stockpiles such gear at a warehouse in Nairobi, Kenya. But its employees have been barred from communicating with the W.H.O., which managed the facility.

Officials at U.S.A.I.D. eventually paid about $100,000 to procure the protective equipment elsewhere, but the contract with that provider, too, has been canceled.

U.S. officials involved in trying to contain the Ebola outbreak are trying to restore the contracts, noting that the work is crucial to prevent the disease from spreading to other countries, including the United States.

"Cessation of partners' activities pose a grave risk to Uganda's ability to effectively respond and contain the virus," the cable said.

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