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Zelenskyy declines to apologize for boorish behavior during Oval Office meeting

March 1, 2025 | | Print Article

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ran to his friends in the media to spin the disastrous Oval Office argument with President Donald J. Trump and Vice President JD Vance to his benefit.

The Friday meltdown came at the end an Oval Office meeting with the two American leaders when his lack of self control at least temporarily scuttled a deal for his country’s rare earth minerals that was to have been signed with Trump before a nice lunch and joint press conference, both of which were called off after the shabbily attired dictator lost his cool.

The embattled Ukrainian found a friendly ear in Fox News’ Bret Baier who last year traveled to the front to interview the diminutive leader near the front lines as then-President Joe Biden was trying to ram a $60 billion aid package through Congress.

During his chat with the conservative network’s top anchor, Zelenskyy declined to apologize for his boorish behavior despite being given the chance by Baier to do so.

(Video: Fox News)

After welcoming the Ukrainian, Baier got right to the point: “President Trump said, after your meeting, that you disrespected him and the vice president, and all of America in the Oval Office. Do you think you did, and do you think you owe an apology to President Trump?”

“We are thankful to Americans for all your support, you did a lot, I’m thankful to President Trump and Congress’ bipartisan support,” Zelenskyy responded. “And I was always very thankful from all our people, you helped us a lot from the very beginning during three years of full-scale invasion. You helped us to survive, and anyway we are strategic partners.”

“And even in such tough dialogue, and I think it’s…we have to be very honest and we have to be very direct to understand each other,” he continued.

The man whom Trump labeled a “dictator without elections” then launched into a meandering filibuster without answering Baier’s initial question about whether he should apologize to the leader of the free world.

Baier persisted and after Zelenskyy’s rambling, asked the question again. “So I’m not hearing from you, Mr. President, a thought that you owe the president an apology.”

“No, I respect president and I respect American people and if, I don’t know, if, I think we have to be very open and very honest and I’m not sure that we did something bad,” he responded, adding that some things should be best discussed “out of media” while not acknowledging that he is the one who disrespected Trump, Vance and the American taxpayers who have been forced to fund a war that his county is badly losing with little gratitude.

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

“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 president added.

Chris Donaldson
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