Congressional Dems urged Zelensky to reject mineral deal ahead of disastrous White House meeting with Trump, Vance

“Just finished a meeting with President Zelensky here in Washington. He confirmed that the Ukrainian people will not support a fake peace agreement where Putin gets everything he wants and there are no security arrangements for Ukraine,” Murphy’s office posted on X at 11:15 am Friday, along with a photo of Zelensky at a conference table.

Zelensky arrived at the White House 40 minutes later, where Trump greeted him before escorting him into the Oval Office. The meeting soon became contentious, and Trump ultimately ended it by dismissing Zelensky from the White House.

The Ukrainian president’s prior meeting with Democratic lawmakers has drawn attention amid claims that Trump and Vice President JD Vance had staged an ambush, reported the New York Post. Murphy’s statement suggests that Zelensky was already inclined to reject the agreement before meeting with Trump.

The purpose of the White House meeting was to finalize a mineral agreement between Ukraine and the United States, which had been negotiated by both parties. Zelensky had twice declined to sign the deal after previously agreeing to its terms.

During the Oval Office meeting, Zelensky raised concerns about the lack of security guarantees for Ukraine. The discussion became heated, with Zelensky interrupting Trump and Vance multiple times in moments now seen millions of times.

Following the meeting, Zelensky spoke with Fox News’ Brett Baier and declined to apologize for how the discussion unfolded, stating, “I’m not sure we did something bad.”

Democratic lawmakers have defended Zelensky’s actions. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Trump and Vance of “doing Putin’s dirty work,” while Rep. Adam Schiff criticized Trump, calling him a “coward.”