In a series of tense exchanges and diplomatic maneuvers, the White House found itself at the center of global scrutiny this week as President Donald Trump’s efforts to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine took an unexpected turn. The spotlight, however, quickly shifted from high-level negotiations to a fiery confrontation between White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and the press corps—most notably a New York Times reporter—following Trump’s latest summit with world leaders.
President Trump, who has spent the past several days in a whirlwind of diplomatic activity, hosted a bilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a multilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a cadre of European leaders, and topped it off with a one-on-one phone call with Putin. According to Fox News, Trump stepped away from his meeting with European leaders on August 18, 2025, to speak privately with Putin, later explaining on Fox & Friends, “I didn’t [call Putin] in front of them. I thought that would be disrespectful to President Putin. You know, I wouldn’t do that because they have not had the warmest relations.”
The president’s explanation didn’t satisfy everyone. At a press conference the following day, New York Times reporter Shawn McCreesh pressed the issue, asking, “If the point is to get everybody on the same page, why wouldn’t Trump just take the call from Putin while the other leaders were in the room? He said it would be ‘disrespectful’ to do that. Why is it disrespectful?”
Leavitt, never one to shy away from a combative exchange, fired back, “With all due respect, only a reporter from The New York Times would ask a question like that, Shawn.” The sharp rebuke, as reported by The New York Times and echoed across social media, left McCreesh’s question unanswered, but the moment quickly went viral, highlighting the increasingly fraught relationship between the White House and the press.
This wasn’t the first time Leavitt has taken a hard line with reporters. As The Independent and NOTUS have previously documented, she has a reputation for verbally assailing journalists and sidestepping uncomfortable questions. In March, when Andrew Feinberg of The Independent inquired about the government’s controversial practice of classifying people as gang members based on tattoos and clothing, Leavitt retorted, “Shame on you, and shame on the mainstream media for trying to cover for these individuals who have—this is a vicious gang, Andrew!” In June, she dismissed a question from Jasmine Wright of NOTUS about Trump’s tolerance for peaceful protest during a planned military parade, snapping, “Of course the president supports peaceful protests. What a stupid question.”
The latest dust-up with McCreesh came on the heels of significant diplomatic developments. As detailed in Daily Mail coverage, Leavitt confirmed that Putin had agreed to a one-on-one meeting with Zelensky—a move she described as a “major step toward a Trump-brokered peace deal.” The announcement was seen as a welcome clarification, especially given the Kremlin’s previous reluctance to confirm such a commitment. When pressed by reporters to confirm Putin’s promise to meet Zelensky in the coming weeks, Leavitt stated, “He has, and I just answered that question for you.”
Trump himself took to social media on August 18, 2025, to announce, “At the conclusion of the meetings, I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelensky.” Despite the White House’s optimism, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov appeared to temper expectations, describing the process as “step by step, gradually, starting from the expert level and then going through all the necessary stages.”
The flurry of diplomatic activity saw a parade of European leaders—including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz—descend on the White House in hopes of brokering a deal. According to Daily Mail, Leavitt argued that Trump’s meeting with Putin was so “highly productive” that it prompted Zelensky and the European leaders to fly to Washington, D.C., immediately to discuss the details. She insisted that Trump “learned a lot” during his meeting with Putin, emphasizing the importance of open dialogue between the Ukrainians and the Russians.
Leavitt didn’t miss the opportunity to draw a sharp contrast between Trump’s approach and that of his predecessor. She lambasted former President Joe Biden for what she characterized as an “America last foreign policy” that failed to leave the door open to peace in the conflict. “President Trump rejected that failed approach, and instead, over the last seven months, has relentlessly pursued peace throughout his second term,” she declared.
Trump, for his part, has been clear about his intentions. He told reporters on Monday that he wanted Putin and Zelensky to have a bilateral meeting to resolve the war and make assurances to bring about peace. “It takes, in this case, two to tango, they have to have a relationship otherwise we’re just wasting our time,” the president said, underscoring his belief in the necessity of direct engagement between the two leaders.
The press, however, has not been uniformly supportive of the administration’s handling of the talks. Leavitt took aim at what she described as negative and unfair coverage, particularly of the president’s summit with Putin in Alaska and subsequent White House talks with Zelensky and European leaders. She defended Trump’s decision to take the call with Putin privately, reiterating that it was a matter of respect and diplomatic decorum given the tense history between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders.
The White House’s frustration with the press was palpable, especially in light of recent leaks and public disagreements. According to recent reports, the administration was incensed when Zelensky shared details of Trump’s “final offer” to end the war with the media, further complicating the already delicate negotiations.
Amidst the swirl of controversy, the core facts remain: President Trump has made significant efforts to bring the warring parties to the negotiating table, with a one-on-one meeting between Putin and Zelensky now apparently in the works. European leaders continue to play a key role, and the process, while slow and fraught with setbacks, has moved forward under Trump’s stewardship.
As the world watches and waits, the spotlight remains fixed not only on the high-stakes diplomacy but also on the charged atmosphere in the White House briefing room—where questions of respect, transparency, and the role of the press are every bit as contentious as the negotiations themselves.
With the diplomatic chess game far from over, the coming weeks promise to test both the resolve of world leaders and the patience of a press corps determined to get answers—whether or not the White House is ready to give them.
