In a dramatic turn of events, what began as a cordial meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky quickly deteriorated into a tense exchange at the White House on Friday.
The meeting, which lasted 53 minutes, started on a positive note with Trump greeting Zelensky at the White House entrance with a thumbs up for reporters. Initial remarks in the Oval Office were constructive, with Trump expressing hope they could “stop the war between Russia and Ukraine” and calling it “great” if they could achieve that goal.
Vice President JD Vance and other key administration officials joined Trump. According to The Spectator, early in the conversation, Vance acknowledged that Russia had “destroyed” Ukraine, while Zelensky asserted there should be “no compromises” with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding any peace deal.
The atmosphere shifted dramatically when Vance took issue with Zelensky’s tone, reportedly accusing the Ukrainian president of being “disrespectful” and asking, “Have you said thank you once?” Vance also criticized Zelensky for “litigating in front of the American media.”
Trump then accused Zelensky of “gambling with World War Three” and suggested the Ukrainian leader should be “thankful.” The U.S. president bluntly told Zelensky he doesn’t have the “cards” in the current situation and remarked that the exchange was “not going to make great television,” adding it would be “very hard” to conduct business under such circumstances.
The contentious meeting stands in stark contrast to the more diplomatic exchanges Trump had with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this week, though those meetings reportedly yielded little in terms of concrete security commitments.
European leaders, including Starmer, are scheduled to meet on Sunday to discuss their next steps following this apparent setback in U.S.-Ukraine relations. Analysts suggest they may face difficult decisions ahead regarding support for Ukraine as the Trump administration’s approach becomes clearer.
