White House says some employees were fired by mistake

In a meeting Thursday, United States Office of Personnel Management acting Director Charles Ezell informed probationary employees that they were being laid off and instructed them to "gather your personal belongings and exit the premises" according to audio of the meeting obtained by ABC News.

Earlier in the day, OPM probationary employees who declined the deferred resignation offer were called to a midday meeting where Ezell informed them that their employment had been terminated, multiple sources told ABC News.

The meeting came as the Trump administration began laying off thousands of employees across numerous agencies, sources said

"Good afternoon, thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. This is a difficult conversation, and I want to be direct, while also ensuring that you have all the information and support that you need," Ezell said, according to the audio.

"You will receive your termination notice via email shortly, and it will include the reasons for termination. As a result, your employment with the Office of Personnel Management will end today.”

Ezell also told impacted employees that their "physical and IT system access will be deactivated by 3 p.m. ET today" and added, "We ask that you gather your personal belongings and exit the premises by 3 p.m. ET as well," instructing employees to leave all government property at their desks before departing.

"Understand that this may be unexpected and this is difficult news. While this decision is final, we want to ensure that you have all the information you need for next steps," he added, directing employees to contact HR.

Ezell closed the meeting by expressing hope that those fired would "use this as an opportunity for your next step forward."

-ABC News' Will Steakin

The president of the country’s largest federal employee union slammed the Trump administration’s planned mass layoffs, calling the move a "blatant violation of the principles of fairness and merit that are supposed to govern federal employment."

"These firings are not about poor performance -- there is no evidence these employees were anything but dedicated public servants. They are about power,” said American Federation of Government Employees President Everett Kelley.

"They are about gutting the federal government, silencing workers, and forcing agencies into submission to a radical agenda that prioritizes cronyism over competence," Kelley added.

This new wave of firings could impact more than 200,000 workers hired by the federal government within the last two years, according to data from the Office of Personnel Management.

-ABC News' Peter Charalambous and Ben Siegel

During a press conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Donald Trump was asked about his administration's comments that Ukraine will not be able to gain NATO membership or its pre-2014 borders during negotiations to end the war started by Russia.

"You have suggested several things Ukraine should give up. ... What should Russia give up?" a reporter asked.

Like he has before, Trump claimed the war would have never happened if he were president.

"But as far as the negotiations, it's too early to say what's going to happen," he said. "Maybe Russia will give up a lot. Maybe they won't. It's all dependent on what is going to happen. The negotiation really hasn't started."

The Trump administration has begun mass layoffs across multiple federal agencies, a move that is expected to affect thousands of employees across the government, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News on Thursday.

The firings initially affected probationary employees, recent hires who joined the federal workforce within the last one to two years, depending on the agency, who have fewer protections.

Among the agencies experiencing layoffs are the Department of Education, the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, the Office of Personnel Management, the Environmental Protective Agency, the General Services Administration and the Small Business Administration.

Additional agencies were directed to begin their layoffs Thursday, sources said. At some agencies, workers received written notice via email that they had been let go.

At OPM, workers joined a call with a prerecorded message from the acting director notifying them of their firing, according to someone familiar with the call. There were about 200 probationary workers on that call, the sources said.

Prior to the layoffs, agencies had been directed by OPM to compile lists of probationary employees at their agencies, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

-ABC News' Will Steakin, Ben Siegel and Katherine Faulders