Trump-Zelenskyy Deal Implodes: The Real Reason Behind the Oval Office Showdown

FIRST ON FOX: A key demand from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that President Donald Trump refused to grant led to an explosive confrontation during a live press event at the White House.

The world watched in disbelief Friday as Vice President JD Vance and Trump publicly rebuked Zelenskyy in front of reporters. Right from the start, the atmosphere between Trump and Zelenskyy was noticeably tenser than Trump's other press events with world leaders this week.

Sources close to Zelenskyy reveal that tensions were already high before the event. The Trump administration reportedly presented the Ukrainian president with a minerals for security agreement prior to the press conference. However, this deal lacked any security guarantees to protect Ukraine from further Russian aggression. Apparently, the deal wasn't sweet enough for Zelenskyy, and things went south from there.

Zelenskyy had made it clear before his trip to Washington, D.C., that Kyiv required security assurances to reach a mineral agreement. Despite this, he reportedly angered Trump and Vance by rejecting the deal, according to the source.

TUNE IN: BRET BAIER INTERVIEWS ZELENSKYY ON 'SPECIAL REPORT,' 6 PM ET ON FOX NEWS

Minutes after the first questions were asked by reporters, a heated exchange erupted between the two leaders, leaving officials scrambling to understand how the situation deteriorated so quickly.

"We cannot just sign an … agreement without any substantial guarantees," a Ukrainian defense advisor told Fox News Digital. "It’s not going to work. It’s just going to reward the aggressor."

Zelenskyy’s refusal to sign the deal apparently fueled Trump and Vice President JD Vance's frustration.

The White House has not confirmed the discussions that took place before the press event.

The heated argument began after Trump suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in 2014 and again in 2022 because Trump wasn’t in office, blaming Democratic presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

ZELENSKYY BREAKS SILENCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA AFTER FIERY OVAL OFFICE EXCHANGE WITH TRUMP: 'THANK YOU AMERICA'

"Yeah, that's exactly right," Vance said.

Zelenskyy pointed out that Russia never ceased attacking Ukraine between 2014 and 2022, including the four years of Trump’s first term.

"Nobody stopped him you know," Zelenskyy said, adding that Putin repeatedly violated bilateral agreements.

ZELENSKYY LEAVES WHITE HOUSE AFTER BEING ‘KICKED OUT’ FOLLOWING HEATED MEETING

"What kind of diplomacy are you … speaking about? What do you mean?" Zelenskyy asked at the White House after Trump said he was "aligned" with both Russia and Ukraine.

Vance interjected, saying, "I think it's disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media."

Zelenskyy has repeatedly emphasized that while the U.S. under the Biden administration provided substantial aid to Kyiv, it is Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the front lines to stop Russian aggression, which poses a threat to all of Europe and could embolden adversaries like China, North Korea, and Iran, all of which run counter to U.S. interests.

"You have nice ocean and don't feel now, but you will feel it in the future," he argued.

An angered Trump retorted, "Don't tell us what we're going to feel. We're trying to solve a problem. Don't tell us what we're going to feel."