The Friday meeting between the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky and the President of the United States, Donald Trump in Washington, DC, ended abruptly after a heated exchange of views between both leaders, over Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, met with President Trump to convince him not to side with Russian President, Vladimir Putin but to discuss possible US security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
He told President Trump that “there would be no compromises with a killer on our territory”. He was referring to Russia in Ukrainian territory.
Without mincing words President Trump told him, he was gambling with the lives of millions of people and with World War III.
Shortly after the Ukrainian leader left the White House, Trump took to his Truth Social media app to write that President Zelensky was not ready for peace if America is involved.
On X, Zelensky thanked the US for its support, adding that Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and it is working, exactly towards, that.
Donald Trump and his vice president, JD Vance, berated Mr Zelensky for being “disrespectful” and not thanking the U.S enough for its support to Ukraine.
Zelensky had seen the meeting in the Oval Office as an opportunity to convince the United States not to side with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who ordered the invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
Instead U.S. President Trump and Vice President JD Vance laid into Zelensky, saying he showed disrespect, driving relations with Kyiv’s most important wartime ally to a new low.
The Ukrainian leader was told to leave, a U.S. official said.
An agreement between Ukraine and the United States to jointly develop Ukraine’s rich natural resources, which Kyiv and its European allies had hoped would usher in better relations, was left unsigned.
In an interview with Fox News after the chaotic meeting, Mr Zelensky said it would be difficult to hold off Russia without US support, and it does not have enough weapons to push Russia out. When asked if he regretted what happened, he said “yes, it was not good”.
European leaders leapt to Zelensky’s defence. German chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz said “we must never confuse aggressor and victim in this terrible war.”
Zelensky spoke by telephone with French President Emmanuel Macron, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and EU Council President Antonio Costa, an official in the Ukrainian delegation in Washington told Reuters.
Britain is due to host a meeting of Europe’s leaders and Zelensky on Sunday to discuss a security backstop to any peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv.
Trump has lurched toward Russia since taking over as president, shocking traditional allies in Europe and beyond and leaving Ukraine increasingly vulnerable.
Friday’s outburst was the most public display of that shift.
Vance stressed the need for diplomacy to resolve the biggest conflict in Europe since World War Two, while Zelensky, with his arms folded, countered that Putin could not be trusted in any talks and noted that Vance had never visited Ukraine
Zelensky openly challenged Trump over his softer approach toward Putin, urging him to “make no compromises with a killer.”
Trump, whose team said he and Vance were “standing up for Americans,” quickly took to Truth Social after the meeting to accuse Zelensky of disrespecting the United States.
“I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved,” he wrote, using an alternative spelling of the leader’s name. “He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
The head of the Ukrainian armed forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, posted a statement on Telegram affirming that his troops stood by Zelensky and that Ukraine’s strength was in its unity.
Anxious Ukrainians following from afar largely rallied around their leader, but fretted about the prospects of continuing flows of U.S. military aid that the country has relied on.
In Congress, reaction from Trump’s Republican Party was mixed, while Democrats lambasted his handling of the meeting.
The Ukrainian leader conducted the meeting in his non-native English, and as it progressed he was drowned out by Trump and Vance.
“You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards,” Trump said.
“I’m not playing cards, I’m very serious, Mr. President,” Zelensky said.
“You’re playing cards. You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people, you’re gambling with World War Three,” the U.S. president continued.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev appeared to revel in the spectacle, writing on Telegram that the Ukrainian leader had received a “brutal dressing down.”
After the talks, Trump directed two top aides to tell Zelensky it was time to leave, even as attendants were preparing to serve lunch to the delegations, according to a White House official.
The Ukrainians were instructed to depart despite their desire to continue the talks, the official added.
The falling out meant that Ukraine and the United States failed to sign a much-vaunted minerals deal that Kyiv hoped would spur Trump to back Ukraine’s war effort, and potentially win support from Republicans in Congress for a new round of aid.
The clash also undermined efforts by European leaders to convince Trump to provide security guarantees for Ukraine even if he has refused to deploy U.S. soldiers on Ukrainian soil to maintain peace.
