President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sparred during an Oval Office meeting in February. (Getty)
Trump, Vance and Zelenskyy’s infamous Oval Office meeting in February started after Zelenskyy challenged Vance’s statements that diplomacy was the correct avenue to end the conflict. Zelenskyy questioned the value of diplomacy, noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin has broken other agreements in the past.
"What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about?" Zelenskyy said. "What do you mean?"
Vance said, "I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country."
"Mr. President, with respect, I think it's disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media," Vance said. "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 bringing it, to bring it into this country."
TRUMP SAYS ZELENSKYY CAN ‘COME BACK WHEN HE IS READY FOR PEACE’ AFTER FIERY WHITE HOUSE EXCHANGE
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and President Donald Trump, left, talk as they attend the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican, Apr. 26, 2025. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
Meanwhile, Trump said Wednesday that his administration has not been able to finalize a peace deal with Ukraine and Russia, claiming that both leaders have been more challenging to work with than expected.
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"Vladimir Putin has been more difficult," Trump told reporters Wednesday. "Frankly, I had some problems with Zelenskyy. You may have read about him, and it's been more difficult than other wars."
Still, Trump said that his meeting with Zelenskyy went smoothly, and that he would be speaking to Putin as well.
"He's very nice, actually," Trump said of Zelenskyy. "A little rough at times. He couldn't have been nicer. I think he'd like to see an end to this."
Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/zelenskyy-pointedly-thanks-trump-america-ukraine-support-months-after-vances-jab-about-lack-gratitude