Donald Trump has accused Voldime Zelensky of “gambling with World War I” as the US president shortened a long-standing meeting of Ukrainian leaders at the White House and told him to go back to “when peace is ready.”
In a joint appearance at the oval office on Friday, the two leaders clashed even before the start of a formal meeting in the Ukrainian president’s attempt to spectacularly improve their tense relationship with Washington.
Speaking at Zelenskyy, where he repeatedly introduced the need for US security assurances, Trump said: . . You live and gamble millions of people. You are gambling with World War I. ”
The US president, who has attacked multiple times at his Ukrainian counterpart in recent weeks, has issued Zelensky with an ultimatum, saying he will “take a deal.” [on the war]Or we’re out.”
The extraordinary clashes cast doubt on attempts to end the three-year war. Trump is calling for quick deals between Russia and Ukraine, but Kiev said the agreement is not stable without US security support.
Minutes after the cameras were guided, in a statement announcing the collapse of the White House speech, Trump wrote:
He added: He downplayed the United States in his precious oval office. He can come back when he is ready for peace. ”
On Friday afternoon, Zelenskyy wrote to X: Thank you @potus, Congress and the Americans. Ukraine really needs peace and we work precisely for that. ”
During the Oval Office Meeting, Vice President JD Vance criticized Zelensky and said he was not fully grateful for his support from the Trump administration.
Later Friday, Trump said the meeting with Zelensky “didn’t work at all from his perspective.” He overrated his hands very much. We are looking for peace. ”
“He’s looking to keep fighting, fighting, fighting, fighting,” Trump said. “We’re about to end death.”
After the meeting in the oval office exploded, US officials decided to swarm and tell Zelenkey to leave, White House officials said. Two US officials were sent to the Roosevelt Room. There, the Ukrainians were waiting and asked to leave.
One Ukrainian proposed a meeting between Trump and Zelensky to ease tensions, but the US said no, officials said.
The fiery conflict shocked Ukrainians who were hoping to see the mineral trade signatures that Zelensky wanted his key allies to bring closer to provide assurances that Zelensky could strengthen future ceasefires.
A person with Zelensky in the oval office told the Financial Times that the meeting ended without the contract being signed.
When asked by Fox News on Friday evening if he was owing apologies to Trump, Zelensky said: I think we have to be very open and very honest and I don’t know if we’ve done anything wrong. ”
“This isn’t good for both parties,” he added. Asked if he could save his relationship with Trump, he said: “Of course.”
The fight concludes an extraordinary week in which the United States is an extraordinary and extraordinary against countries such as Russia, China, North Korea and the United Nations, as well as historic allies such as Britain and France.
European officials are in a shady position at the site of an oval office, with one senior diplomat concluded that “we are on our own” and described the Trump administration as “indifference.”
“We need to finally wake up and realize, ‘This is it,'” the diplomat added.
During the conflict, the ambassador of Ukraine’s Washington Oksana Markarova was seen closing his eyes and dropping his head, grabbing the bridge of his nose as the debate escalated.
Zelenskyy said previous discussions with President Vladimir Putin after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 could not stop Russia from attacking Ukraine again.
“He broke the ceasefire, he killed our people,” Zelensky said. “What kind of diplomacy do you ask?” he said in response to a comment by Vance that the US is attempting to do so.
“From the beginning of the war, we were alone,” Zelensky added.
He scolded Vance and said, “Do you think it’s respectful to come to the elliptical offices of the United States and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?”
The Ukrainian leaders responded: “During the war, everyone has even you have problems, but you have [a] Don’t feel the lovely sea [it] Now you will feel that in the future. ” Trump replied that Zelensky “is not in a position to direct what we are trying to feel.”
Trump and Vance pushed Zelensky to thank the United States. “You’re not winning. You’re not winning this, Trump said.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Friday afternoon, Republican senator and Trump ally Lindsey Graham said Zelenkey should resign if he is not willing to work with the administration.
“He needs to step down and send someone that we can do business or he needs to change,” Graham said.
Zelensky had sought a seat at the negotiation table by Trump opening in-person talks with Kiev and other European capitals to end the conflict with Putin.
The leader was also planning to sign a mineral agreement to establish a joint US-woman “investment fund” that would receive half of all revenues from the “future monetization” of the country’s natural resources.
Zelenskyy’s visit to the US followed an appeal by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, which provided lobby trumps to provide Ukrainian European peacekeepers with a “backstop” for the US after the fight ended.
Trump also refused to promise that the US military was in priority and that Zelensky wanted.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Antonio Costa, Chairman of the Council of Europe, said: Be strong, be brave, be fearless. You are never alone, President Zelensky dearly. ”
Additional reports by Henry Foy of Brussels and Leila Abudo of Paris
