Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky came to the White House on Friday to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in search of more help in his war with Russia. Instead, he did the worst thing possible: he got into a public shouting match with the man who could help Ukraine the most, Donald Trump, and in about five minutes, he probably sealed his loss in the war against Russia.
The Oval Office Ukraine Erruption, Explained
In what was supposed to be a photo op of glad-handing and smiles in the Oval Office, Zelensky got irritated by Vice President J.D. Vance and tried to belittle him on live television.
Vance had allowed Zelensky to speak without interruption. Still, Vance’s patience ran out when Zelensky mocked the vice president’s position on the need for diplomacy – and called him by his first name – by saying “what kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about?”
Vance fired back, saying “I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country.” Zelensky attempted to counter, but the vice president cut him off and said, “Mr. President, Mr. President, with respect, I think its disrespectful of you to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate in front of the American media.”
It only got worse from there. Instead of reading the room and keeping the rest of his thoughts to himself, saving any difficult conversations for behind closed doors, he continued arguing with Vance and then escalated the verbal altercation with Trump as well.
It was a fatal miscalculation because Zelensky was in Washington to try to convince Trump to expand his support of Ukraine.
Just two days ago, Zelensky made a video explaining his objectives in coming to Washington, saying “For me and for all of us in the world, it is crucial that America’s assistance is not stopped.” And in front of cameras broadcasting live around the world, Zelensky chose to lecture the vice president and tell the president what he’s going to feel.
Ukraine’s Big Mistake
He just couldn’t keep his mouth shut and continued for more than five painful minutes. If there was any doubt about how much damage he inflicted on his cause, minutes after the session ended and the rest of the meeting cancelled, Trump posted on Truth Social that Zelensky “disrespected the United States of American in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he’s ready for peace.”
In all probability, Trump will now refuse to help Ukraine in any way and is likely to more readily agree to Putin’s terms on ending the conflict, no matter how draconian.
Zelensky’s Crucial Mistake
In truth, there was no real prospect that Zelensky could have come to the White House and convinced Trump to back him militarily.
The best he could have genuinely hoped for in his meeting was to get the U.S. president to push for the least offensive end-of-war terms from Putin.
However, this ugly display in the Oval Office exposed Zelensky’s refusal to acknowledge what was clear for a long time. There’s nothing new in his actions, as it turns out.
As I have been arguing in these pages since 2021, Zelensky should have taken the diplomatic path to prevent the war from starting (by refusing to implement the 2015 Minsk Accords or his unwillingness to suck down his pride and take the deal offered by Putin in December 2021), and should have sought a negotiated end weeks into the war, in Istanbul in April 2022.
But Zelensky has always refused to take the path that preserved the greatest amount of his territory or preserved the people over whom he leads. He has rejected every opportunity to end the war, and even now, he still appears unwilling to acknowledge the military reality that the war is unwinnable and seems unable to acknowledge that there is no peace deal to be had that advantages Kyiv. Instead, he has chosen to act out the role of a presumed modern-day Winston Churchill, rejecting every diplomatic overture offered by the Russians, choosing to fight.
That worked under the previous U.S. president because Joe Biden was perfectly willing to join with Zelensky in ignoring basic combat realities to keep the war going, so long as Russia was “weakened” in the process. Biden’s view, however, never had a fantasy that Russia would be militarily defeated because Biden realized that if Ukraine were to win, it would almost certainly push Russia into a nuclear escalation – something even Biden was keen to avoid.
Zelensky, however, was and remains unconcerned about such potentialities, going so far earlier this month on Piers Morgan to advocate to be given nuclear weapons with which to fight Russia.
If it wasn’t clear before, it should not be crystal clear: Zelensky cannot engage in diplomatic talks aimed at ending the war. He has proven he is incapable of making rational decisions.
What Happens Now?
This episode will likely free Trump’s hand with European leaders. If he says that Zelensky is not a valid partner with whom he can make peace, Trump will walk away. Who in Europe will argue that Trump is wrong?
Even Kier Starmer of the UK and Manuel Macron of France tried to change Trump’s mind about supporting Ukraine during visits earlier this week. Yet, both were perfectly cordial and pleasant in front of the cameras in the Oval Office. They must have cringed as they watched Zelensky destroy any hope of moving Trump in Europe’s direction.
The chances are now high that Trump will more enthusiastically pursue what he sees as America’s best interests in this conflict: to see it come to a quick end and move on to more pressing matters between Washington and Moscow, irrespective of what it does for Ukraine.
Zelensky will now have to deal with the fallout and the likely diminished support from the U.S. and either face the reality that he will now have to negotiate an end to the war himself – or continue ignoring reality and fight on, pointlessly sacrificing potentially hundreds of thousands of more Ukrainian soldiers.
If he chooses the latter, the danger will rise, and he could face a riot from his own soldiers. This is a situation of Zelensky’s own making, and now he will face the consequences one way or another.
About the Author: Daniel L. Davis
Daniel L. Davis retired from the U.S. Army as a Lt. Col. after 21 years of active service and is now a 19FortyFive Contributing Editor, writing a weekly column. He was deployed into combat zones four times in his career: Operation Desert Storm in 1991, Iraq in 2009, and Afghanistan twice (2005, 2011). Davis was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for Valor at the Battle of 73 Easting in 1991 and awarded a Bronze Star Medal in Afghanistan in 2011. He is the author of The Eleventh Hour in 2020 America. Davis gained some national notoriety in 2012 when he returned from Afghanistan and published a report detailing how senior U.S. military and civilian leaders told the American public and Congress the war was going well while, in reality, it was headed to defeat. Events since confirmed his analysis was correct. Davis was also the recipient of the 2012 Ridenhour Prize for Truth-telling. Currently, you can find Lt Col. Daniel Davis on his YouTube channel, “Daniel Davis Deep Dive,” where he analyzes war, national security, politics, foreign policy, and breaking news with expert commentary.
Jim
February 28, 2025 at 9:25 pm
Why did Zelensky and Kiev never take the path of peace?
Because they were never looking for peace. The power people after the 2014 violent overthrow were always wanting to increase hostilities, one way or the other.
The violent overthrow of a duly elected president for the sin of wanting the best economic deal for Ukraine, whether from Russia or the European Union. Alienating half the populace who had voted for that president, then instituting language discrimination against Russian speakers, banning opposition media, T. V. and dissidents, even before the 2022 invasion.
Engaging in random, terror shelling into the Donbas, principally, Donetsk City to the tune of over 10,000 dead… random… women & children… as is, “Where is your humanity!”
They can’t take peace because their ideology is victory or death… their view is entirely hyper-chauvinist… total disregard for the other, whoever they decide it to be, then no mercy… and, they expect none either.
Washington knew how extreme their ideology was… and, they used it… as a battering ram against Russia.
A match made in a bad place. Washington has blood on its hands.
I heard a report of a Ukrainian Rada member (parliament) calling for Zelensky’s impeachment.
It’s dire.
But, I don’t think they have it in them to sue for peace… they’ll have to fight it out down to the last bunker.
Real sad, real disappointing.
But, now, Zelensky has nothing but the back end of a box canyon to look at… there’s no way out.
Maybe, now, cooler and firm heads will prevail and a peace agreement can be reached.
Trump can bring peace.
Doyle
March 1, 2025 at 3:31 pm
You mean why did Zelensky not surrender to Putin because that’s exactly what it would have been. Most of what you say is lying Russian propaganda troll.
Gkam44
March 2, 2025 at 12:27 pm
Nonsense, Russia is out of money and reliable friends.
Trump’s “peace” is death.
Zhduny
February 28, 2025 at 10:41 pm
Zelenskyy, the leader of the neo-nazis in Ukraine, attempted to boldly lecture US on Russia but instead got into a confrontation with Vance and trump.
That’s not how you treat the world’s sole super megapower.
Zelenskyy completely forgot the Feb 2022 war was Joe biden’s personal pet project and now biden’s gone, he needed to quickly change his tune.
But what the heck, he tried to pull and to rearrange the lion’s whiskers while seated inside the lion’s den.
What the feekin’ heck, the lion roared at zelenskyy, and was told to leave, before he becomes lunch. What the heckin’ heck.
Down with zelenskyy, the neo-nazi. Down with the EU !
Doyle
March 1, 2025 at 3:32 pm
and up with Russia right Ivan?
Robbert
March 1, 2025 at 3:31 am
Interesting opinion. Totally different from lets say the most of the normal world but shouldnt be surprising
David Chang
March 1, 2025 at 4:14 am
God blesses people in world.
If the people in Ukraine obey Ten Commandments and confess sin during the USSR, Ukraine will never be a socialism country again.
If the people in Ukraine never believe socialism and evolution, and never vote for Joe Biden’s attorney, Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s military will have more time to prepare for fighting USSR.
If everyone in Ukraine protect homeland by themselves, the Ukraine civil war will be the same as Korea civil war.
If one world under God, we will defeat socialism military in the end, may God has mercy on people in world.
God blesses people in America.
megiddo
March 1, 2025 at 5:35 am
Now, today, starting march 2025, is the time and date for russia to burn the iron while the fire’s redhot.
Zalenskyy, wearing a mafiaso streetfighter shirt emblazoned with a neo-nazist trident emblem, strode boldly into the US white House and tried to frontshirt the leader of the world’s mega super superpower.
To HELL with zelenskyy.
His goose is fried and his eggs hard boiled.
Now is the time and the hour to annihilate the neo-nazi forces in donbass.
SEND THEM ALL TO HELL !!!
Doyle
March 1, 2025 at 3:34 pm
The neo Nazis in the Donbas are on your side Ivan, and of course it’s you also.
Trương Trung Hiếu
March 1, 2025 at 8:54 am
America often shouts: “Protect freedom and democracy” and criticizes other countries for suppressing human rights. Now, a country that believes in your false doctrines has fallen into war, people are dying, and their homeland is destroyed. However, people are not discouraged, persistently fighting for that “FALSE FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY”. America also helps Ukraine with a plot, it doesn’t give it for free. Now, based on that, it boasts and demands debt – You send guns and bullets for people to shoot, not loans, so why do you demand it? You are truly shameless. The US President and Vice President force a Head of State who is at war to sell resources to you in exchange for giving land to their enemies so that America can benefit – why do you give all the good things to yourself? When the Ukrainian President was frustrated by being oppressed and had to fight back, you said: “Zelensky “did not respect the United States”!? Please take a close look at how many times Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the American government and people. To put it bluntly, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky does not respect President Donald Trump and the US vice president because those people do not respect him – I find that normal: if you want others to respect you, you have to act respectfully.
JDDrouin
March 1, 2025 at 12:15 pm
Let’s not forget that Zelensky was a stand-up comic before deciding to run for the Presidency, which he did as a lark, and was taken by complete surprise when he won.
Doyle
March 1, 2025 at 3:30 pm
Anyone that speaks with any level of certainty as to the events at the WH is lying to you. It’s a damn shame that this WH (and I voted for Trump all three times) is courting disaster by negotiating with a criminal dictator Putin. Putin will break any treaty he signs, he will come back again. Dictators only understand one thing, force.
Jim
March 1, 2025 at 3:35 pm
What’s wrong with suing for peace?
It stops the conflict.
It stops the dying & suffering.
What Ukraine has right now in territorial possession, minus the four Oblasts and Crimea is roughly 80% of what Ukraine had in 1991.
We’re not going back to 1991, or at all, it’s where we are right now.
A neutral, non-aligned nation, with a national police force, and different leaders… ones that want to live in peace with Russia… and treat Russian speakers in their own country with respect, dignity, and equality.
What’s so hard about that?
Austria is still neutral to this day. It seems to be doing fine… and very friendly with the West.
Finland & Sweden seemed to be doing well as neutral nations for decades… who were friendly to the West… and had respectful relations with the Soviets, and now, Russia.
Sometimes, you have to come to grips with a failed policy.
What brings continued war?
What comes of it?
Tim
March 1, 2025 at 7:22 pm
Let’s see the smug Europeans step up to the plate and foot the bill for the war that is on their doorstep. European leaders were quick to publicly state that they “stand with Ukraine”. OK, write the check.
Pay for the war. Or, as is likely the case, there is no meaning to “stand with Ukraine” other than empty virtue-signaling.
Pete
March 1, 2025 at 11:02 pm
Of course as always Daniel Davis always sides with Trump and Putin. He parrots Russian propaganda. I don’t know why he still writes articles for this site.
Andrew
March 2, 2025 at 1:15 am
I thought that a recipient of a Bronze Star Medal for Valor would be an honorable man, but apparently it’s not always the case. Daniel Davis cherry picked moments from the Oval Office meeting to present Zelensky as the petulant boy, yet decided to ignore all lies said by Trump and Vance before and during the meeting. Mr. Davis, I looked through your articles on this site and on defensepriorities.org – they all full of Russian propaganda talking points. How much does Putin pay you?
Swamplaw Yankee
March 2, 2025 at 6:17 am
This DD is deep diving in the Inner beltway aquarium again. A prime example of the glass wall green slime so effectively opaque that there is zero direct light waves thru the glass wall.
The DD was deployed 4 times in where? The damage to Christians in the Nineveh Plains was so tragic during his tenure over there. Ancient Christians of tiny numbers of faithful that the Yankee legislated into genocidal extinction.
School bus loads of Canadian kids managed to save Kabul and evict the Taliban out of Kandahar with what? Machine guns, LAV’s and museum quality WW2 tanks. When the DD charade moved in with kabillions in military hardware what did the Yank do. Donated all the hardware billions to the Muslims and ran out as fast as the Yellooo belliie could. The tragedy, no respect to the Canadian kids + allies who were booted out of the unilateral Cowards Conferences with the Muslims.
Do we see a pattern. Ask the Ukrainians to fight in Afghanistan, then unilaterally decide to run out as fast as possible. The Yank gave how many USA planes to the Ukrainian fighting men out there to fly out? Oh, right, the Muslim enemy was first on the yank hardware give away LIST. No traitors for sure at this yank table.
So, we see the same in 2025. The DD knows all. The donkey, horse and camel equipped orc muscovite elite army has the yankee MSM in white fright. As qualified experts count down the sure collapse of the orc muscovite empire, the fellows, academics, defence, military and intelligence hacks whine that their russian language course makes them podcast experts .
Everyone knows the 2014 betrayal of the WEST by the H. Obama “coniuratio”, covert unilateral free no-cost gift of ancient Ukrainian land to the cold war enemy of the WEST. The Yankee quietly betrayed the WEST by unilaterally stealing the advantage of the WEST in the existing geopolitical middle east. Obama, et al, made sure to keep it quiet and the MSM quiet as well.
Non est tuum dare – It is not yours to give.
Putin was thrilled to return to his genetic ancient family trade: kidnapping little Ukrainian girls and boys. The lucrative sex trade of the Russian ethnics was genetically in their instincts. Perhaps, like drinking Vodka.
That’s 2014. Four hundred years earlier, in 1616, the Ukrainian policy of stopping slave sex trade orc muscovites took effect. Previous taxes raised, created a new fleet that was sailed into the Black Sea and defeated the huge Muslim sex trade transport fleet. The Sich Cossacks then attacked the Crimean Ukrainian centre of Kaffe, where kidnapping orc muscovites made fortunes selling Christian children to Muslim buyers. After killing off the Muslim army, the Cossacks transported many thousands of sex abused children out of the Kaffe dungeons. Next, the Cossack Hetman lead the army north into the hideaway of the lustful sex trade kidnappers: Moscow.
The point, there was no Yankee President or a Vance to insult in 1616. But there was a genocidal predator ethnic group, already lusting for centuries for Ukrainian toddlers that they could steal, enjoy and sell to Muslims for high profit.
It is a TV level farce that the inner beltway aquarium crowd pretends to care about the “youth” of Ukraine. Yankee Peace is a code phrase for giving the losing sex traders another chance in their millennia long lust for stealing Ukrainian ancient Crimean soil. As the orc muscovite start their topple to a loss of the war, the panic level in the Oval Office to give away Ukrainian soil so the WEST loses, becomes so obvious. Why?
Good questions as to needed military production in Europe still exist, eleven years after the Yankee free no-cost gift of ancient Ukrainian soil to the orc muscovite elite. Why the deadly delay is the question that needs intensive documentation and extensive MSM exposure.
The Yankee scam of removing Ukraine’s real nuclear capacity for fake, worthless papers worked the first time. Why does the chief magistrate fantasize that he, only he, will not be scamming worthless blab to the victim group, the Ukrainian family? Maybe the Ukrainian victims know a truth he can not perceive? Self-delusion in the chief magistrate, et al, can not be hidden for long as the inner desires of the orc muscovite elite runs deep in its makeup. Best talk about intensive reparation and compensation necessary from the rich orc slave traders + asap! -30-
Gkam44
March 2, 2025 at 12:33 pm
Putin owns Trump, who is weakening the US for him.
Conservatives are the fools referred to by Lenin.
Emotionally manipulated, they vote for the man who hates the same people they hate.
Jim
March 2, 2025 at 2:56 pm
What was wrong about Ukraine before 2014 and it’s violent overthrow of the duly-elected president who fled the mobs upon fear for his very life? And, subsequently, violent mobs torched the Trade Union building in Odessa with over fifty burned alive… jumping from windows… to escape the flames (never investigated, let alone prosecuted).
Before 2014, Ukraine was at peace. Ukraine had peaceful relations with its neighbors and peaceful relations among its own citizens. Sounds good to me.
Ukraine, as per its constitution & founding document, was a neutral, non-aligned nation with good relations with the West & Russia… both economic & political.
Thus, it had no need for an expensive military, and, indeed, it has a relatively small force, more of a national police force, if you will.
But, after that violent overthrow, those that had taken over the government soon imposed language restrictions on Russian speakers, banning media who opposed the coup plotters, any media who didn’t tow their line. Banning candidates who weren’t deemed loyal enough to those in power in Kiev… and jailing others… some disappeared.
Anyway, Ukraine lost its democracy and legitimacy upon the violent overthrow which put in power those who had no respect for democracy… they would not submit to the democratic way to change governments… vote those bums out of office in a free & fair election.
Again, what was so bad about Ukraine before 2014?
We should go back to it and all live in peace with our neighbors and ourselves.
Peaceful societies should be our goal.
The illegitimate Kiev government has no such interest.
It wants war.
And it shall have it.
John
March 2, 2025 at 3:12 pm
I find your characterization of the discussion between Vance and Zelensky to be nearly 180 degrees from what I witnessed. It was not Zelensky who mocked, chided or antagonized but JD and then Donald.
Clearly it was a flat out ambush from the petty and childish executives. They are still butt sore from Zelensky “stumping” for Biden and they were waiting to smack him down for it like the children they are.
They disregard and antagonize freedom loving allies while sidling up to dictators and autocrats. It’s pathetic our leadership is so small they put themselves ahead of what is right for the country, our allies and the world.
Regulatus
March 2, 2025 at 7:21 pm
The world is now counting on Europe to show true solidarity with Ukraine and to defend democracy.
Please don’t blow this historic opportunity.
Jackson Pope
March 3, 2025 at 8:13 am
By insisting on a US security guarantee, the Euros risk getting nothing at all. Then this European problem will become 100% Europe’s problem.