A meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ended abruptly, after the US president accused his Ukrainian counterpart of “gambling with World War Three” for not accepting the terms of what Ukraine views as an unfavourable possible peace deal with Russia.
The two leaders were due to hold a joint press conference on Friday and sign an , but both were cancelled after the heated exchange.
Zelenskyy had secured the meeting at the White House to try and convince the Trump administration to rethink its current approach to early peace negotiations — which have so far involved sidelining Kyiv from talks in Saudi Arabia and offering key concessions to Moscow, such as allowing it to keep Ukrainian territory captured during its three-year invasion.
Not long into the talks though, the discussion turned sour, after Zelenskyy questioned Trump and US vice-president JD Vance about how the war could be ended via “diplomacy” with Russia, given President Vladimir Putin’s bad faith actions.
Zelenskyy was in turn berated for being “disrespectful” and not showing the US gratitude for its role in trying to end the conflict.
“Do you think it’s respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?,” Vance asked Zelenskyy.
“Have you said ‘thank you’ once in the entire meeting? In the entire meeting, have you said ‘thank you?'”
After more back and forth, Trump also raised his voice and began dressing down the Ukrainian leader.
“You’re right now, not really in a very good position. You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position.
“You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War Three,” he said, in front of a room full of reporters.
Trump then issued Zelenskyy an ultimatum, stating that Ukraine must “make a deal or we are out,” implying that the US could abandon negotiations and withdraw military support for Kyiv.
Shifting alliances
Since becoming president, Trump has aligned with Putin, startling traditional allies in Europe and beyond while leaving Ukraine more exposed to Moscow’s aggressions. Friday’s outburst though, was his most public display of this shift yet.
Zelenskyy’s early exit from the White House without signing the critical minerals deal — which would give Washington access to Kyiv’s untapped resources in exchange for investment and what Ukraine hopes will be concrete security guarantees — leaves a question mark over where negotiations between the two nations will go from here.
Zelenskyy, who had lobbied for the meeting in Washington, has repeatedly spoken about the importance of meeting Trump in person to bolster support for a peace agreement that would take some of Ukraine’s redlines into consideration, before the US president is due to hold talks with Putin.
Kyiv had also hoped that the minerals agreement would encourage Trump to back Ukraine’s war effort, and that it could help win support for a fresh round of military aid from Republicans in Congress.
Instead, the fallout appears to signal the continuing decline in the US-Ukraine relationship. In recent weeks, Trump has already falsely accused Zelenskyy of starting the war with Russia, while labelling him a “dictator” — a remark he subsequently tried to distance himself from.
The confrontation has prompted praise from Trump loyalists, as well as messages of support for Zelenskyy from European leaders.
French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed that Russia is the aggressor in the current conflict, while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said: “Ukraine, Spain stands with you”.
