Don't take the bait: US Senator's warning to Zelenskyy before Trump showdown

The Trump-Zelenskyy meeting on Friday started off cordially, as they spoke politely. But when the Ukrainian leader raised alarm about trusting any promises from Putin to end the fighting, JD Vance rebuked him for airing disagreements with Trump in public, instantly shifting the tenor of the conversation.

In Short

• Republican Senator Lindsey Graham warned Zelenskyy not to argue with Trump
• He criticised Zelenskyy’s approach, praised Trump and JD Vance
• After meltdown, Trump cancelled joint briefing with Zelenskyy, minerals deal left unsigned

Just hours ahead of the extraordinary Oval Office showdown that shocked the world, Lindsey Graham, a Republican Senator and a known Donald Trump ally, said that he had warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "not to take the bait" against getting into an argument with his US counterpart, since the latter is known not to take criticism well.

Graham, who was among a group of Republican and Democratic senators who met Zelenskyy before his Oval Office meeting with Trump on February 28, told reporters, "I told him this morning, ‘Don’t take the bait. Don’t let the media or anyone else get you into an argument with President Trump. What he’s doing today is resetting the relationship',”.

“What I saw in the Oval Office was disrespectful, and I don’t know if we could ever do business with Zelensky again. I think most Americans saw a guy that they would not want to go in business with, the way he handled the meeting,” the South Carolina Republican added.

The Trump-Zelenskyy meeting started off cordially, as they spoke politely, at times even admiring one another. But when the Ukrainian leader raised alarm about trusting any promises from Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the fighting, Vice President JD Vance rebuked him for airing disagreements with Trump in public, instantly shifting the tenor of the conversation.

Zelenskyy grew defensive, while Trump and Vance blasted him as ungrateful and “disrespectful” and issued stark warnings about future American support.

As a result of the unseen public implosion of extraordinary proportion, Trump cancelled a scheduled joint press conference with Zelenskyy and ordered him out of the White House. A long-sought minerals deal between the US and Ukraine was also left unsigned.

Meanwhile, a planned White House lunch was also scrapped.

In further remarks to reporters, Senator Graham described the Ukrainian leader’s approach as “just over the top”, while praising Trump. "I have never been more proud of the President. I was very proud of JD Vance standing up for our country," he stated.

When asked if Zelenskyy, should resign, the Republican replied, “He either needs to resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change.”

PLANNED ATTACK OR SPONTANEOUS OUTBURST?

Meanwhile, there was also increased speculation if Friday's meltdown was a planned verbal attack against Zelenskyy or just an in-the-moment public outburst.

Sources told The New York Times that both Trump and Vance were "looking to blow up a deal for Ukraine’s mineral rights deal", which Zelenskyy was scheduled to sign as a part of his visit.

The deal would give the US access to Ukraine's deposits of so-called rare earth minerals, used in the aerospace, defence and nuclear industries, as a chance for Kyiv to pay back the US for aid already sent for the war effort under former President Joe Biden.

"Instead, Zelenskyy seemingly triggered the two American leaders by not sufficiently thanking the US for trying to end the war and by pressing for commitments to protect Ukraine from Russian aggression going forward," the newspaper said.

After the Oval Office meltdown, an agitated Ukrainian delegation, including the war-torn nation's ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova, who stopped taking notes during the meeting, left the Oval Office.

An enraged Trump, huddled by Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, said he felt disrespected by Zelenskyy’s tone.

He told reporters later he didn’t want to “embolden” the Ukrainian leader if he didn’t want “peace” with Russia, flipping what Ukraine had seen as an inducement for security guarantees into a cudgel.

“You can’t embolden somebody who does not have the cards,” Trump said.