Trump Allies Double-Down on Zelensky Criticism: ‘He Chose to Blow That Up’

President Donald Trump’s allies have continued to hit out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following Friday’s tense Oval Office meeting that ended with Zelensky’s premature departure from the White House.

U.S. officials, meanwhile, have criticized the Ukrainian leader for his approach to the meeting and to the aid the U.S. has provided to Kyiv amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, primarily blaming him for Friday’s clash.

Why It Matters

Zelensky arrived on Friday to the White House with plans to sign an economic securities deal that would grant the U.S. the right to mine some of Ukraine’s vast rare earth mineral reserves as compensation for the military aid provided since 2022 when Russia invaded Eastern European country.

However, Zelensky during a press gaggle in the Oval Office questioned the value of seeking peace deals with Russian President Vladimir Putin, noting that Ukraine had already signed such deals with Russia and Putin ignored them. This led to a heated argument in front of reporters between Trump and Zelensky, with Trump yelling at his counterpart that he was “gambling with World War III” and Vice President JD Vance admonishing Zelensky for not being “thankful” for U.S. aid.

Zelensky departed the White House shortly after the meeting concluded. He did not sign the deal, and Trump said it would prove difficult to continue negotiations with the current dynamic.

What To Know

Top Republicans hit the Sunday morning talk show circuit to continue defending Trump’s approach and criticizing Zelensky’s, with House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana telling CNN host Dana Bash that the Ukrainian leader had acted “inappropriately.”

“What President Trump was trying to do in the Oval Office when Zelensky acted so inappropriately, in my view, was to offer them an agreement that would be a win-win across the board,” Johnson said. “The mineral rights agreement is a fantastic solution to bring about an end to this conflict, and I would have hoped that President Zelensky would have understood that and showed some gratitude.”

He later said during his CNN interview appearance: “I’ve been involved in a lot of bilateral meetings like this with heads of state, and dignitaries. There’s a certain protocol to these events. But for him to act as he did was rather shocking to everyone.”

“President Zelensky, instead of showing gratitude, he interrupted and berated his hosts at a very perilous time for his country, he should have been anxious, I think, to enter into this agreement,” the House speaker said.

Johnson also tried to recontextualize his support for Ukraine aid last year, explaining that he wanted to “allow Ukraine to sustain itself and position them for peace negotiations,” arguing that “the whole idea behind it was to hold the line to eliminate the deaths of women and children and innocent people in their country until President Trump could return to the Oval Office.”

“I was convinced that that was going to happen, and that he would be the one that was powerful enough, strong enough on the world stage to bring both parties to the table,” Johnson said. “That is exactly the moment that we are in now.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CBS News’ Face The Nation host Margaret Brennan that Zelensky’s actions have “thrown off the sequencing” of the peace negotiations and insisted that it is his responsibility for a lack of an imminent peace deal as a result.

“I don’t know what President Zelensky was thinking,” Bessent said. “We had President of France, Emmanuel Macron, in on Monday, great meeting. We had Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday. Fantastic meeting. They were all on board the arc of the peace agreement.”

“All President Zelensky had to do was come in and sign this economic agreement and again, show no daylight, no daylight between Ukrainian people and the American people, and he chose to blow that up,” Bessent said.

The treasury secretary also said on Sunday: “I think we have to see if President Zelensky wants to proceed. What’s the use of having an economic agreement that’s going to be rendered moot if he wants the fighting to continue? President Trump wants a peace deal.”

Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard continued the argument that Trump and Zelensky have “different aims in mind,” telling Fox News Sunday host Shannon Bream that Zelensky “wants to end this war, but he will only accept an end, apparently, that leads to what he views as Ukraine’s victory, even if it comes at an incredibly high cost of potentially World War III or even nuclear war.”

She continued: “We’re seeing this big divergence here between his [Trump’s] position and his commitment to these values and the interests of the American people and the interests of President Zelensky and these European leaders. This is an issue that has to be resolved. I know President Trump is committed to doing this, and that’s really where the next step needs to lead.”

Gabbard hit on the issue at the heart of Friday’s incident—that Zelensky appears to fundamentally distrust Russia while Trump views Putin’s willing participation as the only way forward—and accused Zelensky of having a “lack of interest in any real good-faith negotiations.”

“There were a lot of conversations that were happening through different emissaries, both for Zelensky and for President Trump, leading up to his visit there, to the Oval Office and President Zelensky’s immediate escalation there was, frankly, quite a surprise,” Gabbard said Sunday.

“This has created a huge riff in the relationship,” she continued. “President Zelensky, as you pointed out in the clips that you played, doesn’t believe that that he did anything wrong, that there was no issue with what he brought up in the Oval Office with President Trump. There’s going to have to be a rebuilding of any kind of interest in good faith negotiations, I think, before President Trump is going to be willing to re-engage on this.”

When Bream pressed Gabbard about Zelensky’s “valid point” about “skepticism that Putin is actually going to be a reliable partner in whatever deal comes together,” Gabbard insisted that Trump was elected to end the war, and that required “bringing interested parties tot eh table to conduct these negotiations.”

“Of course, both sides are going to have their arguments and their interests that they are fighting for,” Gabbard said. “This is the reality of how these negotiations always occur. During times of war, neither side is going to be happy, very likely, with the outcome, but ultimately, it needs to lead to peace, and that’s what President Trump is so committed to.”

What People Are Saying

President Donald Trump on Truth Social on Friday: “We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today. Much was learned that could never be understood without conversation under such fire and pressure. It’s amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations. I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”

President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X on Friday: “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.”

What Happens Next?

Zelensky is in the United Kingdom meeting with world leaders, including a visit with King Charles III on Sunday.

European leaders, who near-universally backed Zelensky after the Oval Office showdown, have called for an immediate summit to discuss how to approach peace talks with Russia. The U.K. and France, meanwhile, have committed to working with Zelensky to draft up a new ceasefire plan to present to the U.S. and Russia in the coming weeks.