Zelenskiy-Trump meeting ends in diplomatic disaster, leaving Ukraine exposed

By Steve Holland, Nandita Bose, Jeff Mason and Tom Balmforth

WASHINGTON - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's meeting with Donald Trump ended in disaster on Friday, after the two leaders clashed in an extraordinary exchange before the world's media at the White House over the war with Russia.

Zelenskiy had seen the meeting in the Oval Office as an opportunity to convince the United States not to side with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who ordered the invasion of Ukraine three years ago.

Instead US President Trump and Vice President JD Vance laid into Zelenskiy, saying he showed disrespect, driving relations with Kyiv's most important wartime ally to a new low. The Ukrainian leader was told to leave, a US official said.

An agreement between Ukraine and the United States to jointly develop Ukraine's rich natural resources, which Kyiv and its European allies had hoped would usher in better relations, was left unsigned and in limbo.

European leaders leapt to Zelenskiy's defence. German chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz said "we must never confuse aggressor and victim in this terrible war."

Zelenskiy spoke by telephone with French President Emmanuel Macron, Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte and EU Council President Antonio Costa, an official in the Ukrainian delegation in Washington told Reuters.

Britain is due to host a meeting of Europe's leaders and Zelenskiy on Sunday to discuss a security backstop to any peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv.

Trump has lurched toward Russia since taking over as president, shocking traditional allies in Europe and beyond and leaving Ukraine increasingly vulnerable. Friday's outburst was the most public display of that shift.

The already-tense meeting blew up when Vance stressed the need for diplomacy to resolve the biggest conflict in Europe since World War Two. Zelenskiy, his arms folded, countered that Putin could not be trusted and noted that Vance had never visited Ukraine.

"What kind of diplomacy are you talking about, JD?" Zelenskiy asked after recounting failed diplomatic efforts with Russia.

"I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that's going to end the destruction of your country," Vance shot back.

Zelenskiy openly challenged Trump over his softer approach toward Putin, urging him to "make no compromises with a killer."

Trump, whose team said he and Vance were "standing up for Americans," quickly took to Truth Social after the meeting to accuse Zelenskiy of disrespecting the United States.

"I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved," he wrote, using an alternative spelling of the leader's name. "He can come back when he is ready for Peace."

Trump later told reporters as he left the White House for a weekend at his Florida home that Zelenskiy needs to realise he is losing the war.

"What he's got to say is, 'I want to make peace.' He doesn’t have to stand there and say 'Putin this, Putin that,' all negative things. He’s got to say, 'I want to make peace.' I don't want to fight a war anymore," Trump said.

Zelenskiy, asked during an interview by Fox News if his relationship with Trump could be salvaged after Friday's eruption, said, "Yes of course" and appeared to express some regret, adding "I'm sorry for this."

The head of the Ukrainian armed forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, posted a statement on Telegram affirming that his troops stood by Zelenskiy and that Ukraine's strength was in its unity.

Anxious Ukrainians following from afar largely rallied around their leader but fretted about the prospects of continuing flows of US military aid that the country has relied on.

In Congress, reaction from Trump's Republican Party was mixed, while Democrats lambasted his handling of the meeting.

The Ukrainian leader conducted the meeting in his non-native English, and as it progressed he was drowned out by Trump and Vance.

"You're not in a good position. You don't have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards," Trump said.

"I'm not playing cards, I'm very serious, Mr. President," Zelenskiy said.

"You're playing cards. You're gambling with the lives of millions of people, you're gambling with World War Three," the US president continued.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev appeared to revel in the spectacle, writing on Telegram that the Ukrainian leader had received a "brutal dressing down."

EARLY EXIT

After the talks, Trump directed two top aides to tell Zelenskiy it was time to leave, even as attendants were preparing to serve lunch to the delegations, according to a White House official.

The Ukrainians were instructed to depart despite their desire to continue the talks, the official added.

The falling-out meant that Ukraine and the United States failed to sign a much-vaunted minerals deal that Kyiv hoped would spur Trump to back Ukraine's war effort and potentially win support from Republicans in Congress for a new round of aid.

Trump is not interested in revisiting the minerals deal at the moment, a senior White House official told Reuters on Friday evening.

The clash also undermined efforts by European leaders to convince Trump to provide security guarantees for Ukraine even if he has refused to deploy US soldiers on Ukrainian soil to maintain peace. Such guarantees are seen as crucial to deter Russia from future aggression.

Trump instead threatened to withdraw US support from Ukraine.

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

"Once we sign that deal, you're in a much better position. But you're not acting at all thankful, and that's not a nice thing. I'll be honest. That's not a nice thing."

Trump stressed that Putin wants to make a deal.

Vance also interjected that it was disrespectful of Zelenskiy to come to the Oval Office to litigate his position, a point Trump agreed with.

"You didn't say thank you," Vance said. Zelenskiy, raising his voice, responded: "I said a lot of times thank you to American people."

Zelenskiy, who won billions of dollars of US weaponry and moral support from the Biden administration, is facing a sharply different attitude from Trump. Trump wants to quickly wind down the three-year war, improve ties with Russia and recoup money spent to support Ukraine.

"I hope I'm going to be remembered as a peacemaker," Trump said.

Earlier, Trump told Zelenskiy that his soldiers have been unbelievably brave and that the United States wants to see an end to the fighting and the money put to "different kinds of use like rebuilding."

Ukraine has rapidly expanded its defence industry production but remains heavily reliant on foreign military assistance, while also struggling to replenish manpower as it battles a much larger foe.

While Ukraine repelled Russia's invasion from the outskirts of Kyiv and recaptured swathes of territory in 2022, Russia still controls around a fifth of Ukraine and has been slowly taking ground since a failed Ukrainian counter-offensive in 2023.

Kyiv's troops hold a chunk of land in Russia's western Kursk region after a 2024 incursion.

Trump has engaged in a long-distance feud with Zelenskiy in recent weeks, criticizing his handling of the war, calling him a "dictator" and urging him to agree to the minerals deal. He subsequently distanced himself from the "dictator" remark.

- REUTERS