A remarkable shouting match broke out in the Oval Office on Friday between President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, an extraordinarily fractious display that only underscored the deeply uncertain future of American assistance to Kyiv.
Never before has an American president berated his visitor like Trump did to Zelensky, leading to an almost real-time breakdown in relations between Washington and Kyiv. Trump at one point threatened to give up on Ukraine entirely.
Zelenskyy and his delegation were told to leave the White House following the testy meeting, according to a White House official who was not authorised to speak publicly.
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Heated back-and-forth exchange
Castigating Zelenskyy for not demonstrating enough gratitude for American support, Trump and his Vice President JD Vance raised their voices, accusing the besieged leader of standing in the way of a peace agreement.
"You're not really in a good position right now." Trump said. "You're gambling with World War III."
At one moment, Vance accused Zelenskyy of being "disrespectful" toward his American hosts.
"You're not acting all that thankful," Trump added.
"Have you said 'thank you' once?" Vance asked Zelenskyy.
Afterward, Trump and Zelenskyy left the Oval Office and went to separate rooms. Trump ordered the Ukrainians be told to leave, according to a White House official.
A scheduled joint press conference was scrapped and Zelenskyy departed the White House in his black SUV without signing a planned agreement on providing US access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals. Trump posted online that his counterpart was not welcome back until he was "ready for peace."
Now, Zelenskyy will leave Washington with the fate of his country, and his own future as its leader, in doubt.
Ahead of his arrival, Trump had already voiced open hostility toward Zelenskyy, whom he termed a dictator. Yet he seemed to moderate his tone a day earlier, declining to repeat the criticism.
But the tense 10-minute exchange in the Oval Office went well beyond any of the usual diplomatic rifts, allowing the gulf between the men to play out publicly in front of television cameras. It was about as angry as Trump has ever allowed himself to be seen in public.
"You're either going to make a deal or we're out," the US president said, adding later: "If we're out, you'll fight it out. I don't think it will be pretty."
Vance, who has often sat silently in Oval Office meetings during the opening weeks of his vice presidency, sparked the tension with the visiting Ukrainian leader. Before joining Trump on the ticket last year, the freshman Ohio senator was among the loudest GOP critics of assistance to Ukraine – skepticism that he has carried into the White House.
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The fiery exchanges on Friday served as a stark example of the dramatic whiplash in American foreign policy since Trump and Vance assumed office last month. The tensions escalated dramatically during a session that began with a series of pleasantries as Trump waxed aloud about his legacy.
"I hope I'm going to be remembered as a peacemaker," Trump said as he looked ahead to the prospect of finalising a broader peace deal with Russia and Ukraine.
But the acrimony that exploded into full view raised questions about the prospects of reaching a peaceful solution, raising fresh alarm across Europe, where leaders have worked for weeks to warn Trump of Russian President Vladimir Putin's past actions and potential future intentions with Ukraine.
Again and again, Trump has sided with Putin. But with voices raised in the Oval Office, Trump unleashed years of pent-up frustration toward Russia and Ukraine, which led to his first impeachment.
"Let me tell you, Putin went through a hell of a lot with me," Trump said. "He went through a phony witch hunt where they used him and Russia, Russia, Russia."
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Trump responds after exchange
After the heated meeting, Trump said in a Truth Social post that Zelenskyy could come back to the White House "when he is ready for peace."
"We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today. Much was learned that could never be understood without conversation under such fire and pressure," he said.
"It's amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations. I don't want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace."
For the sake of diplomacy, it was a catastrophic end to a week that began on a hopeful note at the White House, where French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited in hopes of paving the way to a security agreement with Ukraine.
Trump's meetings with the pair of European leaders were awash in pleasantries to prepare him for his one-on-one session with Zelenskyy, which ended as no one could have imagined.
"I've empowered you to be a tough guy," Trump said to the Ukrainian leader. "I don't think you'd be a tough guy without the United States."
Speaking with reporters after a TV hit at the White House, top Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham said Zelensky "either needs to resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change."
"What I saw in the Oval Office was disrespectful, and I don't know if we can ever do business with Zelensky again. I think most Americans saw a guy that they would not want to go into business with. The way he handled the meeting, the way he confronted the president was just over the top," Graham said.
Graham said he had spoken to Zelenskyy Friday morning.
"Don't take the bait," Graham said. "President Trump was in a very good mood last night."
But Democrats placed the blame on Trump and Vance.
Senator Jack Reed, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the meeting "a political ambush" and "a shameful failure of American leadership" in a statement.
The Rhode Island Democrat said that "today's cruel and callous display does great harm to US standing in the world. Trump and Vance are communicating to the world that the United States is not to be trusted. Adversaries and allies alike will take note."
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