Did Zelensky’s ‘wrong gift’ derail his Oval Office meeting with Donald Trump? Ukraine Prez reveals ...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview with Time, opened up about his tense February 28 Oval Office meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. According to Zelensky, he had meticulously planned the meeting, viewing it as a pivotal moment in Trump’s push for a Ukraine peace deal. In an effort to make a lasting impression and counteract what he saw as Russian propaganda influencing the White House, Zelensky said he prepared a set of symbolic gifts.

The role of gifts in Trump’s diplomatic tradition

As Time reported, Trump has a well-documented history of receiving grand symbolic gifts from world leaders. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gifted him a golden pager to commemorate Israeli military actions, while Russian President Vladimir Putin went a step further, commissioning an oil painting of Trump and sending it to the White House.

Zelensky revealed to Time that he had chosen to bring the championship belt of his friend, world heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk, as a gesture of goodwill. However, instead of leading with the belt, he opted to present a more somber gift first—a folder containing gruesome photographs of Ukrainian prisoners of war who had endured torture and starvation in Russian captivity.

Trump’s reaction to the gruesome photos

Zelensky told the news publication that he wanted to appeal to Trump’s humanity. And, as the televised briefing began, Zelensky said he handed Trump the folder.

The folder contained gruesome images of emaciated and tortured Ukrainian soldiers who had been held in Russian captivity. “That’s tough stuff,” Trump reportedly told Zelensky as he flipped through the images. According to US officials cited by Time, this moment shifted the tone of the meeting, making Trump defensive as though he were being blamed for the suffering depicted in the photos.

Zelensky’s rationale for presenting the photos

Despite the fallout, Zelensky does not regret his decision. “He has family, loved ones, children. He has to feel the things that every person feels,” Zelensky told Time. “What I wanted to show were my values. But then, well, the conversation went in another direction.”

A heated exchange with JD Vance

As the meeting concluded, Zelensky asked whether Vice President JD Vance had visited Ukraine during the war. As Time reported, both men knew the answer. Vance responded bluntly, saying he had no interest in Zelensky’s “propaganda tours.”

Zelensky was visibly stung by the remark as throughout the war, Ukraine has encouraged international guests to witness the destruction firsthand—touring hospitals filled with wounded soldiers, surveying missile strike sites, and visiting mass graves left by Russian forces. However, since Trump took office, US officials have deliberately avoided such visits, Time noted.

Zelensky’s commitment to his message

Despite the contentious meeting, Zelensky remains firm in his belief that showing Ukraine’s suffering is essential for diplomacy.