U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy needs to either return to the bargaining table or possibly be replaced after Friday’s tense meeting with President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance – televised across the world – ended in dispute over the U.S.’ peacemaking role in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, Johnson said Zelenskyy “needs to come to his senses and come back to the table in gratitude or someone else needs to lead the country to do that. It’s up to the Ukrainians to figure that out.”
Zelenskyy visited the Oval Office Friday when he and the Trump administration were expected to reach a deal over Ukrainian minerals in exchange for the U.S. committing to continue helping the war-torn nation as a peace deal is negotiated with Russia.
But the televised meeting quickly turned hostile with Trump and Vance accusing Zelenskyy of not showing enough gratitude for all the U.S. has done for Ukraine during the three-year conflict, as The Center Square previously reported.
After a scheduled news conference and lunch were cancelled following the tense Oval Office meeting, Trump wrote on social media that Zelenskyy was not ready for peace.
“It’s amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations,” Trump wrote. “I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE.”
On Sunday, Johnson said Zelenskyy must “do what is necessary” to help end the war.
“I can tell you, we are reverting to peace through strength. President Trump has brought back strength to the White House,” Johnson said. “We knew that this moment would come, we worked hard for it to come, and now it’s here. But we need these parties to go along with this, and we need President Zelenskyy to do what is necessary. This war has drug on far too long. He’s lost hundreds of thousands of people, including women and children. We’ve got to bring an end to it, and I think our European allies are hoping that’s the case and we are as well.”
• The Center Square’s Morgan Sweeney contributed to this report
