Zelenskyy Recalls Turning Point in Relations With Trump After Tense Oval Office Meeting

Trump said on July 8 that the United States would grant Ukraine a license to procure Patriot missiles.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a joint press conference with Lithuania's president and Poland's president, after attending commemorations of the 1863 uprising, in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Jan. 25, 2026. Petras Malukas/AFP via Getty Images

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that a meeting with President Donald Trump at the Vatican last year marked a turning point in their relations after a public spat in the Oval Office.

In an interview with American political commentator Laura Loomer on July 23, Zelenskyy was asked about what helped mend relations after his heated Oval Office exchange with Trump and Vice President JD Vance in February 2025, which ended with Zelenskyy being asked to leave the White House.

Zelenskyy said a brief one-on-one meeting with Trump at the Vatican, which took place on the sidelines of Pope Francis’s funeral on April 26, 2025, gave the two leaders a chance to speak directly and hear each other’s point of view, according to an excerpt of the interview.

“We had like changing moment in Rome at the Vatican. It was not a long meeting, but I always said that I think [it was a] historic moment because we changed the relations during 15-20 minutes. Nobody was around us, only the two of us,” he said. “And I was very happy to hear the president, and he heard me, and I heard him.”

Zelenskyy said he was happy with the outcome of their meeting because “a lot of lives” depend on good relations and dialogue between the two leaders.

Trump shared the excerpt on his Truth Social account, captioned “Very good!!!”

The Oval Office meeting on Feb. 28, 2025, was intended to finalize a U.S.–Ukraine minerals agreement, but instead devolved into a heated exchange between the two sides.

During the meeting, Zelenskyy said that he would not accept a cease-fire without security guarantees from the United States. Trump and Vance then accused Zelenskyy of being ungrateful for U.S. support during the war, which began when Russian troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

The meeting was cut short after it escalated into a heated argument. The White House called off the deal signing, and Zelenskyy was asked to leave.

The two leaders met again at the Vatican in April 2025, where they held a private discussion inside St. Peter’s Basilica.

Zelenskyy’s office also shared an excerpt of the interview on X, thanking Trump for his support for Ukraine.

“Thank you, President Trump, @POTUS, for your attention to Ukraine and for all the support the United States has provided. We appreciate every effort made by caring Americans to help protect lives in Ukraine,” it stated. “We especially appreciate the support with Patriot missiles.”

Trump said on July 8 that the United States would grant Ukraine a license to procure Patriot missiles and expressed support for recent Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russia, calling the attacks an “escalation” that could help end the war between Ukraine and Russia.