Oksana Markarova dropped her head into her hands in a textbook face-palm as the Ukrainian president dug himself a diplomatic hole during the talks with Trump and members of his cabinet that was expected to end with the signing of a deal giving the US a stake in Ukraine\u2019s rare earth elements.<\/p>\n
The 48-year-old Ukrainian ambassador was on the radar of press cameras as Zelensky repeatedly looked her way over the course of the testy exchanges between the wartime leader and his US counterparts.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you saying you don\u2019t want a ceasefire? I want a ceasefire. Because you\u2019ll get a ceasefire faster than an agreement,\u201d\u00a0Trump said as Zelensky attempted to talk over him<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI said to you, \u2018with guarantees,\u2019\u201d Zelensky responded. \u201cAsk our people about a ceasefire, what they think.\u201d<\/p>\n At this moment, Markarova drops and shakes her head \u2014 rubbing the bridge of her nose in frustration and disbelief.<\/p>\n The emote caught the attention of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino.<\/p>\n \u201cUkrainian Ambassador understands that Zelensky is a complete and total disaster,\u201d he\u00a0wrote in a post on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n Markarova was not the only Ukraine-booster to be disappointed with the unforeseen diplomatic disaster.<\/p>\n Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who prepped Zelensky before the Oval Office meeting, said that the Ukrainian president needs to\u00a0consider resigning<\/a>\u00a0after the performance that threw a wrench in the minerals deal that\u2019s been described by Trump as a precursor to peace deal between Ukraine and Russia.<\/p>\n Zelensky, 47, was chewed out by both Trump and Vance, who accused the Ukrainian leader of trying to litigate \u201cin front of the American media,\u201d with both American pols calling the former comedian \u201cdisrespectful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you think that it\u2019s respectful to come into the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country,\u201d Vance fumed during the meeting.<\/p>\n Users on X claimed that Zelensky\u00a0cursed under his breath<\/a>\u00a0as the vice president railed against Ukraine for conscripting citizens off the street and sending them to the front lines of the war.<\/p>\n Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was in the Oval Office for the meeting, also expressed frustration with Zelensky.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was no need for him to go in there and become antagonistic,\u201d Rubio said in an\u00a0interview on CNN<\/a>\u00a0to White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins, adding, \u201cIt went off the rails when he said, \u2018let me ask you a question,\u2019 to the vice president.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think [Zelensky] should apologize for wasting our time for a meeting that was going to end the way it did,\u201d Rubio said summarily.<\/p>\n At the conclusion of the fiery meeting, Trump dismissed Zelensky from the White House \u2014 canceling both a luncheon and a press conference where the two countries were expected to sign the\u00a0joint agreement to develop valuable minerals<\/a>\u00a0in the eastern European country.<\/p>\n![\"Ukrainian](\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/u-s-president-donald-trump-99431625_768987.jpg?w=1024\")
4<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>![\"Ukrainian](\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/ukrainian-ambassador-u-s-oksana-99471222.jpg?w=768\")
4<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>![\"Markarova](\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/ukraines-ambassador-united-states-oksana-99455207.jpg?w=1024\")
4<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>
![\"Vice](\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/2025-washington-dc-trump-zelensky-99455153.jpg?w=1024\")