Ukraine's Zelensky thanks world leaders after Trump meeting ends in tension

A fiery exchange between Trump and Zelensky put US-Ukraine relations on edge as leaders worldwide voiced support for Kyiv.

By CORINNE BAUM MARCH 1, 2025 03:58

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy looks on as he attends a European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium, December 19, 2024. (photo credit: REUTERS/JOHANNA GERON/FILE PHOTO)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked every world leader who released statements of their support for Kyiv after his Friday meeting with US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance ended in a yelling match between the three leaders. 

Swaths of European leaders released statements of support for Zelensky and Ukraine after the heated meeting ended prematurely. 

Shortly thereafter, the Ukrainian president responded by thanking every world leader who expressed their support. 

After Vance accused Zelensky of not saying thank you, Zelensky is now tweeting individual thanks to every single world leader expressing solidarity with Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/ClTCENxJyz

— Kareem Rifai (@KareemRifai) February 28, 2025

This comes after Vance accused Zelensky of not thanking the US for its continued support of Ukraine during Russia's full-scale invasion of the country. 

“Have you said ‘thank you’ once?” Vance asked Zelensky, as reported by CNN. 

What happened at the meeting?

Zelensky was expected to sign a highly contested rare minerals deal at the Friday meeting. Kyiv and Washington had announced on Tuesday that Zelensky would travel to Washington to sign the deal, but that fell through after the two's heated exchange. 

"You're not in a good position. You don't have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards," Trump said.

"I'm not playing cards, I'm very serious, Mr. President," Zelensky said.

"You're playing cards. You're gambling with the lives of millions of people, you're gambling with World War Three," the US president continued.

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After, a senior Trump administration official told the Washington Post that the US was considering cutting Ukraine off completely from all military aid. 

CNN reported that while the US did not intend to announce more aid to Ukraine, military assistance was still flowing between Washington and Kyiv. 

When asked about his feelings towards more US military aid to Ukraine, Trump did not say whether or not he would consider cutting aid. 

“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," he told reporters as he left the White House for Flordia, CNN reported. 

A senior administration official noted that the Ukrainian president could have gone about the meeting more strategically. 

“When you start talking about that aggressively – and the president is a deal maker, he made deals his entire life – you’re not going to get people to the table,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “And so you start to perceive that maybe Zelensky doesn’t want a peace deal. He says he does, but maybe he doesn’t.”

Another unnamed US official told CNN that Zelensky insulted the president. 

“Zelensky played it as wrong as he could play it. He came into Oval acting like a tough guy. It didn’t play well. Everyone in the room felt insulted,” the official said. 

“Now Zelensky will have to figure out how to fix this on his own. We can’t fix it for him."

Now, US officials are saying that the damage to US- Ukrainian relations is irreparable, and some believe that the best course of action is for Zelensky to resign. 

“Zelensky is either going to have to fundamentally change or go," US Senator Lindsey Graham (R. – S.C.) told reporters on Friday. "I can’t believe most Americans, after what they saw today, would want to be partners with Zelensky.

"Ukraine is an important ally that fought like tigers. I don’t want Putin to win, I want to help you train, but it’s hard to help people who seem unable to realize the moment they’re in.”

"[It's] 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]," an unnamed US official told CNN.