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Russian lawmaker calls outcome of meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy ‘brilliant’
Longtime Russian lawmaker Andrei Klishas hailed the outcome of the contentious Oval Office meeting as “a brilliant result” in a social media post on Friday.
Klishas called Zelenskyy a “clown” in the post on the messaging app Telegram, a derogatory term Russian officials often use in regards to Ukraine’s president, and said he “played his role of a ‘president’ poorly in the White House and was thrown out for bad behavior and disrespect towards the U.S.”
Another lawmaker, Alexei Zhuravlev, told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti that while Zelenskyy “may have lost the trust of the United States completely, ... this doesn’t mean that the war will end.”
‘Without real security guarantees, war will return,’ Ukraine’s presidential chief of staff says
Ukraine’s head of the President’s Office who is part of the Ukrainian delegation in the U.S. said that “security is more than just a word — without real guarantees, war will return.”
“Security is not just a word. It means life, a future without sirens, without losses, without fear for our loved ones,” Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram.
He added that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues to fight for those defending a just and lasting peace. Yermak also thanked those who recognize that Ukraine is more than just a point on the map.
“We are deeply grateful to the American people for their support. It brings us closer to the day when war will be just a memory,” he wrote.
Russian drone attacks target multiple regions across Ukraine
Russian strikes continue across Ukraine, with multiple regions affected.
Ukraine’s Air Force has warned of a Russian strike drone operating over the country’s northern, eastern, and southern regions. In Mykolaiv, local officials reported explosions in the city, while in Odesa, the mayor urged residents to take shelter.
Russian drones attack Ukrainian cities every night, hitting areas across the country.
European leaders pledge to stand by Ukraine in the wake of the contentious Oval Office meeting
Prime ministers, presidents and foreign ministers across the continent issued statements or took to social platform X to express their support for Zelenskyy and Ukraine.
The strongest comments so far have come from French President Emmanuel Macron, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and the foreign minister from Estonia, which borders Russia.
“The only obstacle to peace is the decision by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to continue his war of aggression,” Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said in a statement. “If Ukraine stops fighting, there will be no Ukraine. Estonia’s support for Ukraine remains unwavering. It is time for Europe to step up. We do not need to wait for something else to happen; Europe has enough resources, including Russia’s frozen assets, to enable Ukraine to continue fighting.”
Officials from Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany and Poland also offered their support to Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister: ‘Zelenskyy has the bravery and strength to stand up for what Is right’
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha posted on X that “President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has the bravery and strength to stand up for what is right.”
“He stands up for Ukraine and the goal of a just and lasting peace. We have always been and will continue to be grateful to America for its support,” he wrote.
Sen. Lindsay Graham questions whether the US can continue to work with Zelenskyy
“What I saw in the Oval office was disrespectful and I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelenskyy again,” Graham told reporters outside the West Wing.
He said Zelenskyy has “made it almost impossible to sell to the American people that he’s a good investment.”
Graham called the meeting a “complete, utter disaster” and said he’s “never been more proud” of Trump.
Asked whether Zelenskyy should step aside, Graham responded: “He either needs to resign or send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change.”
Senator insists ‘strong bipartisan coalition’ in Congress stands with Ukraine
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who was among about 10 senators meeting with Zelenskyy earlier Friday morning, remained hopeful the situation at the White House wouldn’t derail U.S. support for the ally as it battles the Russian invasion.
“My strong and passionate hope is that the talks can be resumed or restored, and this event won’t derail continued support,” the senator told The Associated Press.
The morning meeting with Republican and Democratic senators, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, was “enthusiastically positive and upbeat,” he said. They even spoke about a potential U.S. treaty or memorandum of understanding of U.S. support for Ukraine, he said.
“I have very strong hopes that the coalition we have in Congress — and it is a very strong bipartisan coalition — will be persuasive to the administration and others that we have a long-term national security interest in Ukraine prevailing over Putin’s brazen aggression.”
After Oval Office meeting, an attempt was made to get things back on track, official says
After the contentious meeting, Zelenskyy and his delegation moved to a different room and the Ukrainian leader made an effort to try to reset and get the visit back on track, according to a White House official.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversations, said National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio communicated to the Ukrainians that Trump wanted Zelenskyy to leave the White House immediately.
— Zeke Miller
Some Republican supporters of Ukraine lamented his meeting with Trump descending into open debate
In a statement, Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said it was “A bad day for America’s foreign policy.”
“Ukraine wants independence, free markets and rule of law. It wants to be part of the West. Russia hates us and our Western values. We should be clear that we stand for freedom,” Bacon said.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., called the meeting “a missed opportunity for both the United States and Ukraine” on X and added that “Having this spill out into public view was a disaster — especially for Ukraine.”
Zelenskyy had met with a bipartisan group of senators before his White House meeting, including GOP Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. Neither immediately commented on the Oval Office meeting.
Zelenskyy: ‘Thank you America’
Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to the American people but did not directly address his meeting with Trump and Vance in a post on X.
“Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people,” Zelenskyy wrote. “Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.”
Senior Russian official says Zelenskyy got a ‘fierce scolding’ by Trump
The deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, said Zelenskyy got a “fierce scolding” in the Oval Office, adding that Russia “must stop military aid” being given to Ukraine.
Journalists for Russian state television appeared shocked by the breakdown in diplomacy between Trump and Zelenskyy but pleased with Trump’s comments. The meeting between Zelenskyy, Trump and Vance “stopped observing the limits of decency” and will “probably go down in history,” Russian state news anchor Alexander Kareevsky said on evening broadcasts, adding nothing similar has been seen in “diplomatic history.”
A correspondent for the Russia 24 state news channel said after the meeting that “it is clear that there can be no talk of any deliveries or further weapons,” to Ukraine and Zelenskyy “is leaving with nothing.” Kareevsky responded by saying Zelenskyy “went to buy himself a jacket after all,” referring to Trump’s comment where he asked the Ukrainian leader why he wasn’t wearing a suit.
Several Republican senators rally to Trump after tense Oval Office meeting with Zelenskyy
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, thanked Trump for “standing up for OUR COUNTRY and putting America first” in a post on X.
Other GOP senators who voiced clear support for Trump shortly after the interaction on social media include Florida Sen. Rick Scott, Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall, Missouri Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt, Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno, Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty and West Virginia Sen. Jim Justice.
Elon Musk: ‘Zelenskyy destroyed himself in the eyes of the American people’
Musk was weighing in on X about the contentious White House meeting with Trump.
Starlink, the satellite communications network owned by Musk-led SpaceX, has been crucial to Ukraine's defense. Musk has also been in regular contact with Putin.
French President Emmanuel Macron reacts to Oval Office blow up between Trump and Zelenskyy
Macron said he believes “we all were right to have helped Ukraine and sanctioned Russia three years ago, and to continue to do so.”
“There’s an aggressor, which is Russia, and a people attacked, which is Ukraine,” Macron told reporters as he was on a state visit to Portugal.
He added: “We must thank all those who helped and respect those who have been fighting since the beginning.”
In Ukraine, much of the immediate reaction to the meeting with Trump was supportive of Zelenskyy
“Unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s interests and devotion to his country. This is what we saw today in the United States. Support for the President of Ukraine,” Vice Prime Minister for the Reconstruction of Ukraine and the Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, Oleksii Kuleba, wrote on Telegram on Friday.
Leaders of regions across the country also took to social media to back Zelenskyy.
“In the fight for the fate of the country — fundamentally unshakable. Unquestioning support for Volodymyr Zelensky. Endurance to our leader. We believe in the President! We believe in Ukraine,” Serhii Lysak, head of Ukraine’s eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, which sits approximately 3 miles from where Russian forces are currently advancing on the battlefield.
Trump’s transportation department cancels new review step that could’ve slowed state projects
The Trump administration is abandoning its new requirement that lawyers in the Department of Transportation’s Washington office must sign off whenever states want to make even minor changes to their transportation plans.
States learned of the new requirement last week, and there was widespread concern the extra review step could delay some payments for roads, bridges and transit.
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials said Friday that the administration had decided to drop the requirement.
Most federal transportation money has traditionally gone to states through a formula. They get it almost automatically after a brief review, usually at the regional level.
▶ Read more about the Transportation Department's review requirements
‘Shame on you’ Sen. Amy Klobuchar says of Vance over treatment of Zelenskyy
A bipartisan group of senators had a “really good” morning meeting with Zelenskyy earlier in the morning, before he went to the White House, Klobuchar, D-Minn. posted earlier in the day.
Later, she responded directly to the White House, and specifically “Answer to Vance: Zelenskyy has thanked our country over and over again both privately and publicly.”
“And our country thanks HIM and the Ukrainian patriots who have stood up to a dictator, buried their own & stopped Putin from marching right into the rest of Europe.”
She wrote: “Shame on you.”
Polish PM tells Ukraine ‘you are not alone’
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk vowed to stand by Ukraine following the contentious Trump-Zelenskyy meeting in the Oval Office.
“Dear @ZelenskyyUa, dear Ukrainian friends, you are not alone,” Tusk wrote on X late Friday.
White House says Zelenskyy was asked to leave
Zelenskyy and his delegation were told to leave the White House early after the testy meeting with Trump in the Oval Office, according to a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Zelenskyy left the White House without signing a critical minerals deal Trump had demanded
Trump suggested the deal was a condition for future support for Ukraine.
The landmark economic agreement aimed at financing the reconstruction of war-damaged Ukraine and would have closely tied the two countries together for years to come.
Zelenskyy has left the White House after tempers flared during his meeting with Trump
Zelenskyy walked briskly to his armored vehicle and quickly climbed in, escorted by a protocol officer who saw him off.
A planned news conference and ceremony to sign a U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal were canceled.
Senate Democratic leader says Trump is ‘doing Putin’s dirty work’
Posting on X, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer was reacting to the fallout of the tense meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The New York Democrat pledged his party would “never stop fighting for freedom and democracy.”
The rapid fallout from the meeting showed just how politically divided Washington is on continuing to support Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion. Just Friday morning, Zelenskky had met with a bipartisan group of senators and several Republicans in attendance had left praising the deal he had been readying to sign with Trump.
“This is a huge step forward in securing mutual prosperity and peace for Americans and Ukrainians,” Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, had said in a statement shortly before Trump and Zelenskky’s Oval Office meeting.
Instead, the meeting ended with Trump cutting off talks with Zelenskyy.
Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, posted on X, “What an utter embarrassment for America. This whole sad scene.”
Trump cut off talks with Zelenskyy after their Oval Office blowup
In a post on Truth Social, Trump repeated that Zelenskyy was “disrespectful.”
“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,” Trump wrote. “I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE.”
“He can come back when he is ready for Peace,” he added.
Zelenskyy had been scheduled to have lunch with Trump and both leaders were going to sign a minerals deal during a joint news conference. Instead, Zelenskyy’s armored SUV abruptly pulled up to the door of the West Wing moments after Trump’s post.
White House aides apparently delighted by heated exchange during the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting
“This is going to be great television, I will say,” Trump said as the meeting broke up.
The White House communications team quickly clipped videos of the exchange and shared them on social media. Several Trump aides did so as well.
“President Trump and Vice President Vance will always stand for America and those who respect our position in the world. America will never be taken advantage of,” said Margo Martin, a special assistant to the president who shared one of the videos.
“Thank you @POTUS for standing up not only for America, but for the American warfighter,” the Defense Department’s rapid response account posted on X.
Trump’s Oval Office meeting with Zelenskyy devolves into open antagonism
The last 10 minutes of the nearly 45-minute engagement turned into a tense back and forth between Trump, Vance and Zelenskyy — who had urged skepticism about Russia’s commitment to diplomacy, citing Moscow’s years of broken commitments on the global stage.
It began with Vance telling Zelenskyy, “Mr. President, with respect. I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.”
Zelensky tried to object, prompting Trump to eventually raise his voice and say, “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people.”
“You’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have,” Trump said.
It was an astonishing display of open antagonism in the Oval Office, a setting better known for somber diplomacy. Trump laid bare his efforts to coerce Zelenskyy to reach an agreement giving the U.S. an interest in his country’s valuable minerals and to push him toward a diplomatic resolution to the war on the American leader’s terms.
Federal workers will get a new email demanding their accomplishments, with a key change
They should expect it Saturday. It's a renewed attempt by President Trump and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk to demand answers from the government workforce.
The plan was disclosed by a person with knowledge of the situation who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly.
The first email, which was distributed a week ago, asked employees "what did you do last week?" and prompted them to list five tasks that they completed. Musk, who empowered by Trump is aiming to downsize agencies and eliminate thousands of federal jobs, said anyone who didn't respond would be fired. Many agencies, meanwhile, told their workforces not to respond or issued conflicting guidance.
▶ Read more about the DOGE emails
— Chris Megerian and Adriana Gomez Licon
Trump and Vance call Zelenskyy ‘disrespectful’ during heated Oval Office meeting
Zelenskyy told Trump that promises of peace from Vladimir Putin can’t be trusted, noting the Russian leader’s history of broken promises. Trump said Putin hasn’t broken agreements with him.
“You’ve got to be more thankful,” Trump told Zelenskyy. He said the Ukrainian leader is “gambling with World War III.”
Trump chided Zelenskyy after Vice President JD Vance, one of the administration’s most skeptical voices on Ukraine, said Zelenskyy was being disrespectful for debating Trump in the Oval Office in front of the American media.
“Have you said ‘thank you’ once?” Vance asked Zelenskyy.
White House says it mistakenly let a reporter from Russian news agency Tass into the Oval Office
It happened as Trump was meeting with Zelenskyy.
TASS was not on the approved media list, according to the White House, and when the press office learned the reporter was in the Oval Office, he was escorted out by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Trump and Zelenskyy meet in the Oval Office
Trump told Zelenskyy that Ukrainian soldiers have been unbelievably brave and talked up an economic agreement between their two countries.
“It is a big commitment from the United States,” Trump said. He added that the United States has little of the rare earth minerals that are abundant in Ukraine, and says those resources will support uses in the U.S. including artificial intelligence and military weapons.
Zelenskyy talked up the prospect for liquid natural gas exports to Europe, but gently disagreed when Trump repeated his claim that Europe “did much less” than the United States to support Ukraine against Russia.
Zelenskyy called Putin a killer and a terrorist and told Trump there should be “no compromises with a killer.” He brought along printed photos to show Trump, but journalists in the room could not see them.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP