President Donald Trump presided over his first Cabinet meeting. Elon Musk, unelected and unconfirmed, was also in attendance. Trump will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House Friday.

RFE/RL correspondents in Kyiv and Washington assess what's at stake as U.S. President Donald Trump hosts his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is expected to discuss the bipartisan meeting she attended Friday in Washington D.C. with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which preceded a chaotic meeting in the Oval Office that ended with Zelenskyy being told to leave the White House.

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance clash with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House in Washington on Feb. 28, 2025.

During his visit with Trump, Zelenskyy was expected to sign the deal allowing the U.S. greater access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals and hold a joint news conference, but that plan was scrapped after the heated engagement between the leaders in front of the news media.

Zelenskyy had traveled to Washington to sign a deal that would give the U.S. access to its mineral riches as Trump attempts to pressure Ukraine into a deal to end the war with Russia. Although support for Ukraine has waned among GOP congressional members in the three years since Russia invaded,

As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made his way down the streets of Washington, he had one simple objective for his meeting in the Oval Office: Use the critical minerals deal to get out of President Donald Trump’s crosshairs.

Zelenskyy had traveled to Washington to sign a deal that would give the U.S. access to its mineral riches as Trump attempts to pressure Ukraine into a deal to end the war with Russia. Although support for Ukraine has waned among GOP congressional members in the three years since Russia invaded,

The breakdown of negotiations come at a pivotal and precarious moment for Ukraine as Zelenskyy sought security guarantees from the U.S. and Trump’s administration seeks to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with President Donald Trump in Washington on Friday at a pivotal moment for his country, one that hinges on whether he can persuade Trump to provide some form of U.

Fast forward almost six years — to a pivotal moment for his war-torn country’s future — Zelenskyy seems to have forgotten the first rule in dealing with Trump: Flattery is the coin of the realm — and perceived insults, especially in public, will quickly get you kicked to the curb.