Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected the suggestion he had anything to apologize for after a shockingly contentious meeting at the Oval Office on Friday that threatened to upend the relationship between the two nations.
In an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier that evening, Zelenskyy said he did not believe he owed President Donald Trump an apology.
“No. I respect [the] president, and I respect American people,” he said. “I think that we have to be very open and very honest, and I’m not sure that we did something bad.”
Zelenskyy went on to talk about the need to have discussions away from the cameras. He also questioned the Trump administration’s praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and said that he did not want to lose support from the U.S., which he called “great partners.”
“I want, really, him to be more at our side,” Zelenskyy said of Trump. “The war began when Russia brought this war to our country. And they are not right.”
Zelenskyy traveled to Washington, D.C., on Friday to sign a deal for the U.S. to gain access to Ukraine’s mineral resources and to discuss a potential peace deal with Russia. But the meeting devolved into a near-shouting match when Vice President JD Vance berated Zelenskyy for being “disrespectful” and “ungrateful” to the U.S. for its help.
Zelenskyy left the White House shortly afterward at the administration’s request, NBC News reported, citing a White House official.
Vance and Trump’s outburst in the meeting underscored the president’s transactional approach to the support the U.S. has provided Ukraine as it fights Russia’s invasion, as well as his warm regard of Putin.
The exchange at the White House shocked European leaders, many of whom quickly reaffirmed their support for Ukraine. Notably, it was some Republican officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, alongside several Russian leaders who criticized Zelenskyy.
It’s unclear how much damage the confrontation has done to relations between the two nations, or what it might mean for U.S. aid to Ukraine moving forward.
Meanwhile, Trump has continued to praise Putin and criticize Zelenskyy.
“He’s gotta say, ‘I want to make peace.’ He doesn’t have to stand there and say about — Putin this, Putin that, all negative things,” Trump told reporters later on Friday. “His people are dying. He doesn’t have the cards — just so you understand that, OK?”
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking/trending news blogger for MSNBC Digital. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
