US President Donald Trump shouted at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday during an extraordinary meeting in the Oval Office, berating Zelenskiy for “gambling with millions of lives” and suggesting his actions could trigger World War III.
Zelenskiy then abruptly left the White House without signing a critical minerals deal with the US that Trump had demanded and suggested was a condition for future support for Ukraine.
Untouched salad plates and other lunch items were being packed up outside the Cabinet room where the lunch between Trump and Zelenskiy and their delegations was supposed to have taken place.
Photo: AFP
The last 10 minutes of the about 45-minute engagement devolved into a tense back and forth between Trump, US Vice President J.D. Vance and Zelenskiy — who had urged skepticism about Russia’s commitment to diplomacy, citing Moscow’s years of broken commitments on the global stage.
It began with Vance telling Zelenskiy: “Mr. President, with respect. I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.”
Zelenskiy tried to object, prompting Trump to raise his voice and say: “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people.”
“You’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have,” Trump said.
It was an astonishing display of open antagonism in the Oval Office, a setting better known for somber diplomacy. Trump laid bare his efforts to coerce Zelenskiy to agree to giving the US an interest in his country’s valuable minerals and to push him toward a diplomatic resolution to the war on the US leader’s terms.
Earlier in the meeting Trump said the US would continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine, but said he hoped that not too much aid would be forthcoming.
“We’re not looking forward to sending a lot of arms,” Trump said. “We’re looking forward to getting the war finished, so we can do other things.”
Trump suggested that Zelenskiy was not in a position to be demanding concessions.
“You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now,” Trump said pointing his finger toward Zelenskiy. “With us you start having cards.”
He also accused Zelenskiy of being “disrespectful” to the US.
“It’s going to be a very hard thing to do business like this,” Trump told Zelenskiy at one point, as the two leaders talked over each other about past international support for Ukraine.
“Again, just say thank you,” Vance interjected to Zelenskiy, blasting him for litigating “disagreements” in front of the press.
Trump suggested he was fine with the drama.
“I think it’s good for the American people to see what’s going on,” he added.
“You’re not acting at all thankful,” Trump said, adding that “this is going to be great television.”
The harsh words came at a pivotal and precarious moment for Ukraine. Zelenskiy had planned to try to convince the White House to provide some form of US backing for Ukraine’s security against any future Russian aggression.
Zelenskiy had been expected to sign a landmark economic agreement with the US aimed at financing the reconstruction of war-damaged Ukraine, a deal that would closely tie the two countries together for years to come.
The deal, which is seen as a step toward ending the three-year war, referenced the importance of Ukraine’s security. Earlier in the meeting, before tempers flared, Trump said the agreement would be signed soon in the East Room of the White House.
“We have something that is a very fair deal,” Trump said, adding, “It is a big commitment from the United States.”
He said the US wants to see the killing in the war stopped, adding that US money for Ukraine should be “put to different kinds of use like rebuilding.”
Earlier, Zelenskiy called Russian President Vladimir Putin a terrorist and told Trump that Ukraine and the world need “no compromises with a killer.”
Many Ukrainians fear that a hastily negotiated peace — especially one that makes too many concessions to Russian demands — would allow Moscow to rearm and consolidate its forces for a future invasion after current hostilities cease.
Zelenskiy on Friday said that his relations with the US can still be repaired, after Trump shouted at him.
“Of course,” Zelenskiy said when asked in a Fox News interview if the relationship with Trump could be salvaged.
US-Ukrainian ties are about “more than two presidents,” he said, adding that Ukraine badly needs Washington’s help in the fight against Russia’s far bigger and better-armed military.
“It will be difficult without your support,” Zelenskiy said on Fox — Trump’s favorite news channel.
Additional reporting by AFP
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