President Donald Trump is reportedly refusing to engage in talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky unless the latter issues a public apology, according to Fox News.
White House correspondent Peter Doocy shared that a senior White House official told him no progress will happen on the U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal until Zelensky “goes in front of cameras and makes an explicit public apology for the way he behaved in the Oval Office.”
Zelensky and Trump were supposed to hash out a deal for Ukraine to allocate revenues from natural resources to the U.S. and address continued American support to Ukraine in the war with Russia on Friday, but Zelensky left the White House early when the televised Oval Office meeting turned into a heated argument.
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During the meeting, Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused Zelensky of not being grateful for U.S. support to Ukraine. Trump later followed up with a post on Truth Social, saying Zelensky had “disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office.”
The specifics of the desired apology are unclear, but Zelensky’s attire at the meeting was one factor that irritated Trump, reports Axios. White House officials had reportedly told Zelensky’s team that it would be best for the Ukrainian leader to wear a suit to the meeting, but Zelensky opted for a more casual black outfit.
“He is all dressed up today,” Trump remarked upon Zelensky’s arrival at the West Wing.
On Sunday, Zelensky said that he would return to the White House if invited and is still willing to have a “constructive dialogue” with the U.S. It’s unclear, however, if Zelensky would give into Trump’s demands for a public apology, or if a second meeting would fare any better than the last.
On Sunday, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz suggested that Ukraine needed to give up territory to Russia to end the war. Russia, which launched a full invasion in 2022, currently controls around 20 percent of Ukrainian territory, according to BBC.
But Ukraine and most international observers see the annexation of Ukrainian land as illegal. Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy has called Russia’s claims to Ukrainian land “laughable.”
