From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By Hailey Gomez

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday on Fox News that he still wants to sign the mineral deal with the United States despite his public blowup at the Oval Office.

During a gathering in the Oval Office on Friday with President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other officials to discuss the U.S. deal with Ukraine over its minerals, Trump and Vance called out Zelenskyy’s behavior after he publicly criticized the U.S. for not attempting to halt Russia. Following the heated discussion, Zelenskyy appeared on “Special Report with Bret Baier” and told the host that he still believes the deal should be signed, adding he wanted to understand the security guarantees the U.S. would provide.

“United States wanted this deal very much, and we’ve been not against this deal, but we wanted to understand what parts in security guarantees will take this deal and what next steps. Just again, to understand for our people, during the war, what you don’t like, even sometimes hate? Surprises,” Zelenskyy said.

“It’s understandable. Many terrible things this war brought to us. So we don’t, we don’t want any surprises. Yes, that’s why we want to be very fair with our partners. I think this deal was prepared by teams. It was not simple during [the] weeks, and now it’s ready. I think that they have to sign. The countries have to sign. The ministers have to sign. That’s it. I don’t know when they will do it. It depends on the American side.”

Multiple sources on Tuesday said that the U.S. had struck a deal with Ukraine to jointly develop mineral extraction projects within the nation.

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By Thursday, Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News that “the deal is done,” adding it was a “win-win” for all parties and would be signed by Friday at the White House. However, following Zelenskyy’s clash with the president and vice president, the White House told Daily Caller White House correspondent Reagan Reese that “nothing will be signed.”

Baier went on to ask Zelenskyy if the deal did not include security provisions, to which the Ukrainian president said that it was part of the “infrastructure.” Zelenskyy further said that Trump had said Russian President Vladimir Putin would not be able to enter certain mineral production territories. However, the Ukrainian president disagreed with the decision, saying he had told Trump not to “trust Putin.”

“I said to him that we had more than two, more than 20 companies, American companies, big companies on the territory of Ukraine. We had offices, even on temporarily occupied territories. For Putin, it doesn’t matter,” Zelenskyy said. “It’s a European company or Ukraine. It doesn’t matter. He just came and occupied it.”

“That’s what I said. I think this is a great idea [on] how to strengthen Ukraine and how to make business between two countries, how to make additional jobs for two countries. But it’s not just this will not save us,” Zelenskyy said.

After Zelenskyy left the White House, Trump took to Truth Social, posting that he had determined 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,” Trump wrote.

From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By Nicole Silverio

President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance duked it out with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Friday after he openly criticized the U.S. for not having stopped Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump said he is not siding with either Putin or Zelenskyy but is determined to negotiate a deal to end the war, while Vance argued that the current administration is “engaging in diplomacy.” Zelenskyy argued that the U.S. has failed to stop Putin and challenged Vance’s argument that the nation is engaging in “diplomacy.”

“During 2015, nobody stopped [Putin]. He just occupied them too. He killed people,” Zelenskyy said. “[Throughout] 2014 and 2022, the situation [was] the same. People have been dying on the content line, nobody stopped him … He broke this ceasefire. He killed our people and he didn’t exchange prisoners. We signed the exchange of prisoners. But he didn’t do it. What kind of diplomacy, J.D., are you speaking about? What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country,” Vance said. “Mr. President, Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media. Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict … I have actually watched and seen the stories and I know what happens, you bring people, you bring them on a propaganda tour, Mr. President, do you disagree that you’ve had problems bringing people into your military? And do you think it’s disrespectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country.”

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Trump told Zelenskyy point-blank that he was “disrespecting” the U.S. and had “no position” to be critical of the nation given that he is at war.

“We’re trying to solve a problem, don’t tell us what we’re going to feel,” Trump told Zelenskyy. “Because you’re in no position to dictate that, remember that. You’re in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel. We’re going to feel very good and very strong. You’re right now not in a very good position … You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you’ll have the cards. You’re playing cards. You’re gambling with a lot of lives and millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III, you’re gambling with World War III and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to this country. It’s backed you far more than a lot people say it should have.”

“Have you said thank you once?” Vance then asked, prompting Zelenskyy to claim he had. “No, in this entire meeting, have you said thank you? You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October. Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and to the president who’s trying to save your country.”

Zelenskyy accused Vance of “speaking very loudly about the war,” and argued his nation has “stayed strong” throughout the conflict. Trump reminded the Ukrainian president that the Ukrainians have persisted against Russia since 2022 because the U.S. generously sent the nation its military equipment and spent billions of taxpayer dollars to help them fight the war.

Vance told Zelenskyy that they should “litigate [their] disagreements” rather than him traveling to the U.S. to call out the nation’s leaders.

After the explosive exchange, the scheduled joint press conference between Trump and Zelenskyy had been canceled. The White House told the Daily Caller that Trump asked Zelenskyy to leave the White House over the incident.

The president said in a Truth Social post that Zelenskyy “is not ready for peace” because U.S. involvement grants him a “big advantage in negotiations.”

“We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today,” Trump said. “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.”

The U.S. and Ukraine had finalized a deal for mineral extraction and had planned to sign the agreement at the White House. No deals will be signed as of Friday.