Donald Trump has clashed with Volodymyr Zelensky in a furious exchange at the White House, with the US president telling his Ukrainian counterpart to make a deal with Russia “or we are out”.
The pair interrupted each other repeatedly during what was supposed to be a prelude to the two leaders signing a minerals deal.
After relations first became strained over Trump’s handling of Ukraine peace talks with Russia, the minerals agreement was supposed to be a stepping stone towards further security ties between the countries.
But Zelensky ended up leaving before the deal could be signed after the public Oval Office meeting came to a head.
At one point, Trump told Zelensky he was not thankful enough for US military and political support, and that he was “gambling with World War Three”.
Zelensky had earlier argued there should be “no compromises” with Russian President Vladimir Putin – but Trump said Kyiv would have to make concessions to reach a peace deal with Russia.
The meeting to discuss the deal, which involved access to Ukrainian oil, gas and rare minerals, came after America’s new president had appeared to blame Zelensky for the war and chided him for not starting peace talks with Russia earlier.
His tone had softened in recent days, with Trump saying he had “a lot of respect” for the Ukrainian leader.
But Friday’s conversation soured after the US Vice-President JD Vance – who was sat alongside other politicians in the room – told Zelensky that the war had to be ended through diplomacy.
Zelensky responded by asking “what kind of diplomacy?”, referencing a previous ceasefire deal in 2019, agreed three years before Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The vice-president then accused him of being disrespectful and “litigating” the situation in front of the media.
From there, the discussion escalated quickly, as Trump and Vance accused Ukraine’s president of being ungrateful for three years’ of US support during the war with Russia, with Trump saying he was in no position to tell the US how it should feel.
Not long after the meeting – and well ahead of the pre-planned schedule – Zelensky was seen leaving the White House in his official vehicle.
Trump took to Truth Social, the social media platform he owns, to say “Zelensky disrespected the US in its cherished Oval Office”.
“I have determined that President Zelensky is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations,” the US president continued. “I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE.”
Zelensky also posted on social media after the meeting, sending a message on X thanking the president and the US four times.
The meeting has prompted reaction from across the globe.
Russia said Trump and Vance had acted with restraint against Zelensky. A foreign ministry spokeswoman said it was a miracle the pair hadn’t hit the democratically elected leader of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, European allies have published support for Zelenksy. French president Emmanuel Macron – who had his own meeting with Trump this week – said Russia was the aggressor and it was the Ukrainian people being attacked.
And Donald Tusk, Poland’s president, told Ukraine: “You are not alone.”
In the US, Democrats in Congress accused Trump and Vance of doing the Russian president Vladimir Putin’s dirty work for him, while some Republican lawmakers supported Trump after the confrontation.-BBC
