Trump cuts short Zelenskyy meeting after shouting match

US President Donald Trump cut short a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday and said the Ukrainian leader is "not ready" for peace with Russia in an extraordinary meltdown in the Oval Office that threw question marks over chances for a truce.

Zelenskyy was meant to be making a full White House visit to sign a US-Ukrainian deal for joint exploitation of Ukraine's mineral resources, as part of a post-war recovery in a US-brokered peace deal.

Instead, an ugly clash blew up almost immediately in the Oval Office where Trump and Vice-President JD Vance shouted at Zelenskyy, accusing him of not being thankful for US help in the three-year war against Russian invasion.

Trump berated Zelenskyy, telling him to be more "thankful" and that without US assistance Ukraine would have been conquered by Russia.

"You're either going to make a deal or we’re out," Trump added. "And if we're out, you'll fight it out and I don't think it's going to be pretty."

Zelenskyy left in his motorcade shortly after, without holding a planned joint press conference.The resources deal was left unsigned, the White House said

Trump took to his Truth Social platform to castigate Zelenskyy saying "he disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office."

Zelenskyy is "not ready for Peace," Trump wrote. "He can come back when he is ready for Peace."

 

Compromise row

The extraordinary meltdown came after Trump said Ukraine will have to make "compromises" in a truce with Russia, which has occupied swathes of Ukraine, destroying entire cities and towns along the way.

"You can't do any deals without compromises. So certainly he's going to have to make some compromises, but hopefully they won't be as big as some people think," Trump said.

But showing Trump pictures of war atrocities and referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zelenskyy said there should be "no compromises with a killer on our territory."

"Crazy Russians," he said, deported Ukrainian children and committed war crimes during their three-year invasion of his country.

The dramatic public breakdown in the long-tense relationship between Zelenskyy and Trump came after their meeting – in front of a large group of journalists – had appeared to get off to a friendlier start.

Zelenskyy had said, "I think President Trump is on our side."

 

Truce talks in doubt

The clash left in doubt efforts led by Trump to cast himself as mediator in the war.

The leaders of France and Britain also came to the White House this week, seeking to persuade Trump not to take the Russian line and to bolster US support for Ukraine in a future truce.

After the drama in the White House, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk told Zelenskyy: "You are not alone."

Trump has alarmed Kyiv and European allies with his abrupt U-turn in US policy, ending what had been full-throated support for Ukraine's attempt to defeat the Russian invasion and casting himself as a mediator between Putin and Zelensky.

Trump said in the Oval Office that he had "spoken on numerous occasions" to Putin – more than has been publicly reported beyond the lengthy call between the two leaders earlier this February.

Speaking before the shouting match erupted, Trump told Zelenskyy that a truce is "fairly close."

The US leader also said that the proposed minerals deal would be "very fair."

The proposal was to give Washington financial benefits for helping Ukraine in a truce, even if Trump has repeatedly refused to commit any US military force as a back-up to European troops who might act as peacekeepers.

 

'Dictator without elections'

The clash came after Trump has flip-flopped in his tone on Zelenskyy.

Trump called him a "dictator" last week and has repeatedly blamed Ukraine for Russia's February 2022 invasion and echoed a series of Kremlin talking points about how the war started.

But on Thursday, Trump said at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer: "I have a lot of respect for him."

"We're going to get along really well," he said.

Trump, who has repeatedly expressed admiration for Putin, said this week he trusts Putin to "keep his word" on any ceasefire.

Senate Democrats accused Trump and Vance of siding with Putin.

They are "doing Putin's dirty work. Senate Democrats will never stop fighting for freedom and democracy," Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer posted on social media.

"Disgraceful," said Senator Chris Van Hollen.

As tensions between Moscow and Washington escalated, Russia's assault on Ukraine continued.

Russian infantry were on Friday storming the Ukrainian border from the Russian region of Kursk, near areas of the region that were seized last summer by Ukrainian forces, Kyiv said Friday.

 

Global reaction

Here are some of the political reactions from around the world. 

Russia: 'Cocaine clown' Zelenskyy – "For the first time, Trump told the truth to the cocaine clown's face," said former president Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's security council, referring to Zelenskyy. Kirill Dmitriev, one of Moscow's negotiators in the first high-level talks between Russian and US officials since the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine, branded the spat between the two leaders as "historic."

Ukraine: 'Not possible' – Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said Zelensky was "right" as "peace without guarantees is not possible." He added: "Ceasefire without guarantees is the way to Russian occupation of the entire European continent."

France: Russia the 'aggressor' – French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday if that if there was "an aggressor" in the Ukraine war, it was Russia. "There is an aggressor which is Russia. There is an aggressed people which is Ukraine," Macron told journalists, adding: "We were all right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago and to continue to do so."

Spain: 'Stands with' Ukraine – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said his country would stand by war-torn Ukraine after the row.

"Ukraine, Spain stands with you," Sanchez, a staunch backer of Ukraine since Russia's 2022 invasion who pledged one billion euros of aid in a visit to Kyiv this week, wrote on X.

Poland: 'Not alone' – Staunch Kyiv ally Poland moved to reassure Ukrainians after the dispute "Dear Ukrainian friends, you are not alone," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X in a post addressed to Zelenskyy.

Democrats: Trump 'doing Putin's work' – Senate Democrats accused Trump and his Vice-President JD Vance of siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Trump and Vance are doing Putin's dirty work," Democratic Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer posted on social media.

 

– TIMES/AFP