The lunch menu for Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the White House on Friday featured an early spring garden salad with sunset tomatoes and honey dressing, rosemary crusted chicken with celery root puree, asparagus and collard greens, and crème brûlée with assorted berries and a citrus tuile.
But a heated exchange between Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance in front of reporters led to the abrupt departure of the Ukraine leader and his delegation, cancelling the lunch along with a scheduled joint news conference featuring Zelenskyy and Trump.
Zelenskyy was in Washington, D.C., to sign a deal that would give the U.S. access to his country’s vast mineral resources in exchange for security guarantees. But Zelenskyy left without signing the deal.
After the dust settled, Trump invited some members of the White House staff to dine with him and Vance.
“The luncheon with President Trump and his GREAT TEAM went on this afternoon,” White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino posted on X, along with a photo of the menu. “With some open seats at 1:30 p.m. EST, President Trump invited some additional team members from the West Wing. Thank you, POTUS & VP! AMERICA FIRST!”
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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