Zelenskyy returns to the White House on Monday with European leaders for conferences

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit the White House on Monday to meet President Donald Trump, after the American president’s meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The visit marks the first time that Zelenskyy has returned to the White House since February, where he was contested openly with Trump and vice-president JD Vance in the oval office to engage in diplomacy with Russia to end the conflict. The meeting encouraged Vance to ask the Ukrainian chief if he “said thank you once this meeting”.

The tense exchange started after Zelenskyy challenged the statements of vance that diplomacy was the right way to end the conflict. Zelenskyy questioned the value of diplomacy and spoke that Putin has broken other agreements in the past.

JD Vance enters light to defend Trump’s foreign policy in Oval Office Dumpup with Zelenskyy

President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy showed up in a verbal argument in the oval office in February 2025. (Getty Images)

“What kind of diplomacy, JD, are you talking about?” Zelenskyy said. “What do you mean?”

Vance said: “I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that will end the destruction of your country.”

“Mr. President, with respect, I think it is disrespectful that you came to the oval office to try to plead this in front of the American media,” said Vance. “Right now, you’re going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have labor problems. You should thank the president for bringing him, to bring him to this country.”

“Have you ever been in Ukraine, what do you say what problems we have?” Zelenskyy said.

“I actually looked at and saw the stories and I know that what’s going on is that you bring people, bring them on a propaganda tour,” said Vance. “Mr. President, do you disagree that you have had problems bringing people to your soldiers? And do you think it is respectful of coming to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attacking the administration which tries to prevent the destruction of your country?”

Trump says Zelenskyy can “come back when he is ready for peace” after the exchange of the Ardent White House

President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appears in a verbal argument in the Oval Office. (Getty)

The exchange encouraged Trump to temporarily break on peace negotiations, saying that Zelenskyy could return to the White House when he was “ready” for peace. After leaving the White House, Zelenskyy then published a declaration on X thanking the United States, Trump, the Congress and the American people for their support for Ukraine.

Unlike the meeting in February, Zelenskyy will be joined Monday by other European leaders who supported Ukraine, notably the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the president of the European Commission Ursula von Der Leyen, the French president Emmanuel Macron and the secretary general of NATO, Mark Rutte.

Meanwhile, Trump said it was in Zelenskyy if war with Russia ended, and stipulated that this would require certain land concessions to Russia. He also excluded NATO membership for Ukraine as part of a potential peace agreement.

Where Zelenskyy heads after an exchange of a tense white house with Trump, vance

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to visit the White House on Monday, as well as other European leaders. (Getty Images)

“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants, or he can continue to fight,” said Trump in a Sunday article on social networks. “Remember how it started. No recovery from Obama gave Crimea (12 years ago, without having been pulled!), And not to enter NATO through Ukraine. Some things never change !!!”

Despite this, the American special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday that Putin agreed to authorize the United States and other European allies to provide enhanced protection to Ukraine, similar to protections offered under article 5 of NATO Mutual Defense.

“We were able to win the following concession that the United States could offer type 5 protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in NATO,” said Witkoff in an interview with CNN.