Trump and Zelenskyy spat deepens hours after the world witnessed a shocking shouting match erupt in the White House’s Oval Office as the two leaders met to sign a minerals deal and discuss the fate of Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump hosted Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday at the White House in what was supposed to be a highly anticipated meeting between the two leaders to discuss the possibility of peace between Kyiv and Moscow.
The leaders were also set to sign a rare minerals agreement, after Trump had pushed for Kyiv to repay Washington for the “ridiculous amounts” of money given to them in aid in their fight against Moscow. The deal was put on hold after the meeting quickly turned into a disaster.
The world hoped the meeting would be a step back from last week’s escalation when both leaders traded jabs. Zelenskyy accused Trump of living in a Russian “disinformation space” while Trump accused Zelenskyy of being a dictator.
The meeting however did not go as anticipated. As the leaders spoke from the US President’s office – the Oval Office – to members of the media before going into a closed door meeting, tensions quickly escalated.
Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused the Ukrainian leader of being ungrateful and issued stark warnings about future American support.
Zelenskyy’s main objective going into the sit-down had been to urge Washington not to abandon his country and to warn against moving too close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine just over three years ago.
Instead, the Ukrainian leader was shouted at by the newly sworn-in US president, who showed open disdain, as he mocked him with an imitating accent, and ridiculed him for his country’s reliance on the US, repeatedly telling him “you don’t have the cards to dictate” how the peace process moves.
Trump has repeatedly warned that a deal to end the fighting may not be favourable for Ukraine, even suggesting that Kyiv may have to concede territory to Moscow. The suggestions have sent Europe into a state of shock who’ve scrambled to formulate a response to a new American administration that’s indifferent about relationships and their continental security.
Washington and Europe’s relationship has taken a dive since Trump returned to the White House just over a month ago. The 47th US president has threatened to pull the US out of NATO if European countries don’t increase their defence spending, threatened tariffs on the EU, in addition to sidelining them from peace talks with Moscow.
The public spat is just another incident that threatens to further divide the longtime transatlantic allies, and throw the world into a deeper state of insecurity.
The meeting ended abruptly after White House officials reportedly asked Zelenskyy to leave.
But Trump, speaking to the media after the meeting as he prepared to embark Marine One to head to an event in Florida, doubled down on his stance at the meeting, claiming that Zelenskyy is not serious about peace.
Trump ultimatum: commit to peace or fight on your own
Trump says the meeting with Zelenskyy was designed to discuss real peace, based on the readiness of Kyiv and Moscow to put an end to the fighting and bloodshed. But, the meeting however indicated to him that Zelenskyy is not interested in doing so, and was again just looking to drum up support for his country.
“We’re not looking for somebody that’s going to sign up as strong power and then not make peace because they feel emboldened. And that’s what I saw happening. I’m looking for peace,” said Trump.
Trump then accused Zelenskyy of wanting to play games, claiming that the intention behind his trip was to “fight, fight, fight” which is the opposite of what he wanted.
The US president also said that they’re not looking for the war to expand to 10 years, and are only interested in securing an immediate peace and a stop to the deaths. Trump says that approximately 2,000 people were killed this week along between Russians and Ukrainians, adding that combatant casualties were even higher.
Trump also hinted at a potential Washington disengagement from Kyiv until it displays a desire to pursue a peace deal.
“He’s got to say ‘I want to make peace’” said Trump responding to a reporter asking him about what Zelenskyy needs to do to restart talks with the US.
“He doesn’t have to stand there and say about Putin, this, and Putin, that. All negative things. He’s got to say, ‘I want to make peace.’ I don’t want to fight a war any longer.”
Trump again stated that Zelenskyy is negotiating far more than he has the capacity to do, reaffirming what he repeatedly stated in the meeting, “He doesn’t have the cards”.
In a bold move, the US president hinted at a potential ultimatum for Kyiv, either pursue a peace deal, or keep fighting on your own, presumably without both American military and financial support.
“You can’t embolden somebody that does not have the cards. And all of a sudden, that person says, oh, well, now I can keep fighting. We’re not going to keep fighting. You’re going to get the war done or let them go and see what happens. Let them fight it out,” said Trump.
“I want a ceasefire now. He said, oh, I don’t want a ceasefire. Well, all of a sudden he’s a big shot because he has the US on his side. Either we’re going to end it or let him fight it out.”
Trump warned that if Kyiv does choose to “fight it out”, it won’t be good for them, likely referring to what he said in the meeting to Zelenskyy, claiming that without US support and weapons, Putin would’ve occupied Ukraine in “probably less than three days”.
Zelenskyy demands security guarantees before committing to any peace efforts
Speaking to US outlet Fox News in an exclusive interview shortly after the heated meeting, Zelenskyy explained that Kyiv will not be able to pursue any peace negotiation without obtaining the necessary security guarantees.
In the meeting, Zelenskyy challenged US Vice President JD Vance questioning him about the reliability of Putin as he cited a 2019 ceasefire deal involving himself, Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, which he claims was violated due to the lack of security guarantees.
Zelenskyy doubled down on this position, adding that the new US administration needs to understand that Ukraine cannot change its attitudes toward Russia on the word of Putin alone.
He again reaffirmed Kyiv’s willingness to secure a peace agreement, but insisted that it must be just. Kyiv is looking for European peacekeeping troops to be part of any deal to safeguard Ukraine against any potential future Russian attacks.
Ukraine is also looking to restore its territorial integrity, including the Crimean Peninsula which was illegally annexed following a war in 2014, as well as much of its eastern territories, like the Donbas region.
