Trump’s Oval Office outburst with Zelensky, annotated

By John Mecklin, Thomas Gaulkin | Article | March 1, 2025

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to the White House on February 28 didn’t go well. He was there to discuss a minerals agreement and secure continued US support from Donald Trump for Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion.

Most of their nearly-hour long Oval Office meeting with reporters was polite. But about 40 minutes in, with dozens of cameras in the room, Vice President J.D. Vance and Trump began scolding Zelensky, derailing both the meeting and the minerals deal, and shocking viewers around the world.

Here, we present that stormy portion of the meeting in its entirety, with notes and facts to guide you through the astonishing event:

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Keywords: Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, Russia, Russia-Ukraine war, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, rare earths
Topics: Multimedia, Nuclear Risk, Special Topics