A high-profile meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his United States counterpart Donald Trump has devolved into a shouting match, as the two leaders clashed over the future of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
On Friday, Zelenskyy arrived at the White House to discuss a proposed deal to give the US access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, while pushing for US security assurances.
But as the two leaders sat down for a news conference in the Oval Office, the atmosphere quickly curdled, with Trump shouting at Zelenskyy, telling him to be “thankful” for US support.
“You’re either going to make a deal or we’re out,” Trump told Zelenskyy.
Shortly after the close of the meeting, Trump released a statement on social media, seeming to withdraw the US from negotiations with Ukraine and eject Zelenskyy from the White House. No deal was ultimately signed.
“I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved,” Trump wrote. “He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
For more than a decade, Ukraine has faced territorial incursions from Russia, culminating in a full-scale invasion that began in February 2022.
The international community has largely denounced Russia’s actions as illegal, and the US has been a pivotal partner in Ukraine’s defence, committing $65.9bn in military assistance since the start of the war three years ago.
But that support has come into doubt since Trump took office in January. Earlier this month, Trump spoke directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin and sent US envoys to negotiate a peace deal with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia, without Ukrainian or European participation.
Zelenskyy and other European leaders have denounced those proceedings as sidelining their interests.
Trump has since ratcheted up tensions, calling Zelenskyy a “dictator” for not holding wartime elections and accusing him of taking advantage of the US “gravy train”.
Zelenskyy was the third European leader to visit Trump this week, after French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. But unlike those leaders, who took pains to praise Trump, Zelenskyy openly contradicted Trump and called Putin a “ killer and terrorist”.
Here are key takeaways from their meeting.
Fractures emerge quickly in meeting
From the moment Zelenskyy arrived at the White House, there were indications the meeting would be prickly.
Trump greeted Zelenskyy at the White House driveway with a handshake and a quip about his outfit, which was a black version of his usual military uniform — a symbol of his status as a wartime president.
“He’s all dressed up today,” Trump said aloud, pointing at Zelenskyy’s outfit.
As the two leaders settled into the Oval Office for their first press appearance of the day, Trump launched into his usual talking points, touting the deal to access Ukraine’s rare earth minerals.
“ We’re gonna sign the agreement at the conference in the East Room in a little, while right after lunch,” Trump said.
“ We have something that is a very fair deal, and we look forward to getting in and digging, digging, digging and working and getting some of the rare earth.”
But very quickly, it became clear the two leaders were not on the same page about the deal.
Zelenskyy emphasised that any deal needed to include real security assurances for Ukraine, something the US under Trump has so far avoided.
“I hope that this document, first document will be first step to real security guarantees for Ukraine,” the Ukrainian president said. “Our people, our children, are really counting it.”
A clash over relations with Putin
Trump also quickly touted his ongoing negotiations with Putin, saying that they had “very good discussions” together and would bring the war to a close.
The US president had previously said that it was “unlikely” that Ukraine would return to its pre-2014 borders, before Russia started to seize territories like Crimea and Donetsk. He also asserted that Ukraine’s attempts to join the NATO military alliance were a non-starter.
Critics accused Trump of giving Putin early concessions by making such remarks. And on Friday, Zelenskyy emphasised that Trump’s support would be “crucial” to maintaining Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
“I really count on your strong position to stop Putin,” Zelenskyy said. “I hope that together we can stop him. But for us, it’s very important to save our country, our values, our freedom and democracy. And of course, no compromises with the killer of our territories.”
Trump, for his part, tried to blame Zelenskyy’s animosity towards Putin for stalling peace talks. Meanwhile, he positioned himself as an “arbitrator” and “peacemaker” between the two warring sides.
“ You see the hatred he’s got for Putin. That’s tough to make a deal with that kind of hate,” Trump said to the reporters, gesturing to Zelenskyy.
He also doubled down o…
