Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called a heated exchange with US President Donald Trump at the White House “regrettable” and said he is ready to work under Trump’s “strong leadership” to achieve lasting peace.
Trump in response said he “appreciates” a letter he reportedly received from Zelensky, reading excerpts during an address to Congress that echoed the Ukrainian leader’s statement.
Their relationship had frayed when the US president accused his Ukrainian counterpart of being “disrespectful” and “gambling with World War Three” during the tense meeting on 28 February.
Zelensky, at times frustrated with the tone of the comments from Trump and his Vice-President JD Vance, attempted during the conversation to rebut the claims they made, and said there could be “no compromise” with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
But the Oval Office meeting was not the first time the two men have exchanged barbs.
Here is a look back at what the two have said to, and about, one another, and how their public relationship has developed over the years.
21 April 2019: On the day Zelensky is elected president of Ukraine, Trump, still in his first term, calls Zelensky to congratulate him. Trump says it was an “incredible election” and adds that “you will do a great job”.
2019: Allies of Trump begin stoking allegations that Joe Biden, then Democratic frontrunner for president, lobbied Ukraine to dismiss its top prosecutor to stymie an investigation into energy firm Burisma, of which his son, Hunter, sat on the board. The allegations were later found to be fabricated, and the prosecutor was removed from office for corruption.
25 July 2019: In a phone conversation that would become the basis for Trump’s first impeachment, Trump asks Zelensky to “get to the bottom” of the allegations. Zelensky says the evidence would reviewed later that year.
29 September 2020: In the first presidential debate between Trump and Biden, Trump alludes to the allegations, saying: “Once you became vice-president, [Hunter] made a fortune in Ukraine and China and Moscow and various other places.”
24 February 2022: Russia begins its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which Trump describes as “appalling”. He adds that Zelensky is “brave” for remaining in Kyiv, and claims the invasion “would never have happened” if he had been elected in 2020.
5 March 2023: “Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, I will have the disastrous war between Russia and Ukraine settled,” Trump tells a conservative conference. “And it will take me no longer than one day.”
May 2024: Zelensky’s term expires but he remains in office, as scheduled elections in Ukraine do not go ahead because the nation remains under martial law. He previously said that “now is not the time for elections”.
22 September 2024: Zelensky tells the New Yorker magazine: “My feeling is that Trump doesn’t really know how to stop the war, even if he might think he knows how.” He adds that “many” leaders have thought they could, but have been unable to.
25 September 2024: On the campaign trail, Trump accuses Zelensky of “making little nasty aspersions toward your favourite president, me”, adding: “Any deal, even the worst deal, would have been better than what we have right now.”
27 September 2024: Zelensky and Trump meet in New York. Zelensky says they have a “common view that the war has to be stopped and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin can’t win”, while Trump says he will resolve the war “very quickly”.
6 November 2024: Trump is re-elected US president. Zelensky is among the first world leaders to call to congratulate him, writing shortly after that he looked forward to a “strong” US under Trump’s “decisive leadership”.
22 January 2025: “It’s time to MAKE A DEAL,” Trump writes on Truth Social. “We can do it the easy way or the hard way.” He adds that without a deal, he will be forced to place further economic restrictions on Russia.
23 January 2025: Trump tells the World Economic Forum that Zelensky “wants to make a deal” but Putin “might not”.
15 February 2025: Zelensky writes that he has begun working with Trump’s team, adding: “The world is looking up to America as the power that has the ability to not only stop the war but also help ensure the reliability of peace afterward.”
18 February 2025: US-Russia talks about ending the war begin in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Zelensky tells reporters that the talks took place “behind Ukraine’s back”, adding: “Once again, decisions about Ukraine are being made without Ukraine.”
18 February 2025: After the talks, Trump says he was “disappointed” by Ukraine’s reaction and appeared to blame Ukraine for starting the war, adding that the country “could have made a deal” earlier.
19 February 2025: Zelensky says the US president is caught in a Russian “disinformation space”. He adds: “We are standing strong on our own two feet. I am counting on… the unity of Europe and the pragmatism of America.”
19 February 2025: Trump accuses Zelensky of talking the US into spending $350bn (£277bn), and of claiming that half of that money was now missing. Trump calls Zelensky a “dictator” who has “done a terrible job”.
23 February 2025: Zelensky tells a forum that he isn’t offended by Trump calling him a “dictator”. He says: “If I were a dictator, I’d be offended. But I take it. Well, okay, good.”
25 February 2025: Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal says a major minerals deal with the US has been agreed. The same day, Trump says he is expecting Zelensky in Washington to sign the deal later that week.
26 February 2025: At a cabinet meeting, Trump says the presence of US workers extracting rare earth metals in Ukraine would provide “automatic security”. Zelensky says the success of the deal, formally backed by his government that evening, would depend on the outcome of his meeting with Trump.
27 February 2025: Asked by the BBC whether he sticks by his claim that Zelensky is a “dictator”, Trump replies: “Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that. Next question.” He also calls Zelensky “very brave”.
27 February 2025: After Trump’s talks with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at the White House, the US president tells reporters he predicts a “very good meeting” with Zelensky on Friday.
28 February 2025: Zelenksy arrives in Washington to discuss an agreement on sharing Ukraine’s mineral resources.
28 February 2025: In a tense public meeting in the Oval Office, Trump accuses Zelensky of being “disrespectful” to the US – something the Ukrainian leader rejects – adding: “Your people are very brave, but you’re either going to make a deal or we’re out. And if we’re out, you’ll fight it out.”
28 February 2025: Zelensky says of the war: “You have nice ocean and don’t feel now. But you will feel it in the future.” Trump responds: “Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. You’re in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel.”
28 February 2025: Trump ends the meeting by saying Zelensky is not being “very thankful” and that “this is going to make great television”.
28 February 2025: Trump writes on social media: “It’s amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelensky is not ready for peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations. I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE.”
3 March 2025: The US announces it is “pausing and reviewing” its military aid to Ukraine. A White House official tells the BBC’s US news partner CBS its reason is to “ensure that it is contributing to a solution… The President has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well.”
4 March 2025: Zelensky releases a statement on social media describing the White House row as “regrettable”. He says it is “time to make things right”, and he is ready to work under Trump’s “strong leadership” to achieve lasting peace.
4 March 2025: During an address to the joint houses of Congress, Trump says he “appreciates” a letter he says he received from Zelensky. Trump reads excerpts from the letter, which reportedly says “Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians… My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.”