Donald Trump accused Volodymyr Zelenskyy of “playing with the Second World War” when the US President completed the long-asked meeting of the Ukrainian leader in the White House and told him that he should return “if he is ready for peace”.
During a joint appearance in the Oval Office on Friday, the two guides collided spectacularly back before the start of their formal meeting, as the offer of the Ukrainian president to improve tense relationships with Washington.
Trump raised his voice in Zelenskyy, who repeatedly refers to his need for US security guarantees, and said: “You don’t have the cards at the moment. . . They play with the life of millions of people. You play with the Third World War. “
The US President, who has been in his Ukrainian counterpart several times in the past few weeks, has published Zelenskyy with an ultimatum and said that he would either “make a deal (about the war) or we are out”.
The extraordinary collision threw doubts in every attempt to end the three -year war. While Trump pushed for a quick contract with Russia and Ukraine, Kyiv said that no agreement would be stable by the United States without security.
Minutes after the cameras had been launched, Trump wrote in an explanation in which the breakdown of the Weißen House talks was announced: “President Zelenskyy is not ready for peace when America is involved because he believes that our participation gives him a great advantage in the negotiations.”
He added: “I don’t want an advantage, I want peace. He respected the United States of America in his esteemed oval office. He can come back if he is ready for peace.
On Friday afternoon, Zelenskyy wrote about X: “Thank you very much, America, thank you very much for your support, thank you for this visit. Many thanks to @potus, congress and the American people. Ukraine needs just and permanent peace, and we work for that. “
During the Oval Office meeting, Vice President JD Vance Zelenskyy criticized and said he was not sufficiently grateful for the support of the Trump government.
Later on Friday, Trump said that the meeting with Zelenskyy “did not work particularly well from his point of view. He very much overplayed his hand. We are looking for peace. “
“He wants to keep going and fight, fight, fight,” said Trump. “We want to end death.”
After the meeting in the Oval Office was blown up, US officials crowded and decided to say Zelenskyy that he should go, an official from the White House said. Two US officials were sent to the Roosevelt room, where the Ukrainians waited to ask them.
One of the Ukrainians suggested a meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy to calm tensions, but the USA said no, said the official.
The fiery dispute shocked the Ukrainians who expected to observe the signing of a mineral contract that Zelenskyy had hoped for, an important ally that would work closer to the guarantee of guarantees that could strengthen future ceasefire.
A person with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office announced the Financial Times that the meeting was completed without the deal being signed.
When Zelenskyy was asked by Fox News on Friday evening whether he owed Trump an apology, I said: “I respect the president, I respect the American people. I think we have to be very open and very honest and I’m not sure if we have done something bad. “
“This is not good for both sides,” he added. When asked whether his relationship with Trump could be saved, he said: “Yes, of course.”
The struggle takes an extraordinary week in which the United States with Russia, China and countries such as North Korea and Belarus on the UN against historical allies such as Great Britain and France.
The European officials were horrified in the scenes from the Oval Office, whereby a high -ranking diplomat came to the conclusion that “we are alone” and the Trump government described as “unglain”.
“We finally have to wake up and recognize:” This is it, “added the diplomat.
During the dispute, the Ukraine ambassador in Washington Oksana Markarova was seen as she closed her eyes, dropped her head and seized the bridge of the nose when the argument escalated.
Zelenskyy said earlier discussions with President Vladimir Putin, starting after the annexation of the 2014 Crimea, Russia had not stopped attacking Ukraine again.
“He broke the ceasefire, he killed our people,” said Zelenskyy. “What kind of diplomacy do you ask?” In response to Comments by Vance, he said that the United States tried diplomacy.
“We were alone from the start,” added Zelenskyy.
He was insulted by Vance, who asked: “Do you think it is respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and to attack the administration that tries to prevent your country from destroying?”
The Ukrainian leader replied: “During the war everyone has problems, even you, but you (a) have a nice ocean and don’t feel now (it), but you will feel it in the future.” Trump replied that Zelenskyy was “unable to determine what we will feel”.
Trump and Vance urged Zelenskyy to thank the USA. “You don’t win. You don’t win that. You have a damn good chance to get out of us because of us, ”said Trump.
In conversation with reporters outside the White House on Friday afternoon, the Republican Senator and Trump Ally Lindsey Graham said that Zelenskyy should resign if he was not ready to work with the administration.
“He either has to step down and send someone about it with whom we can do business, or he has to change,” said Graham.
Zelenskyy had been looking for a seat at the negotiating table after Trump Kyiv and other European capitals blindly made direct discussions with Putin about the end of the conflict.
The managers were also a mineral contract for the establishment of a common US Ukrainian “investment fund” for half of all income from the “future monetization” of natural resources.
Zelenskyy’s visit to the USA was followed by the British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starrer and the French President Emmanuel Macron to praise Trump in order to make the European peace troops in Ukraine available in the European peace troops after the end.
Trump also refused to promise American troops how Starrer and Zelenskyy had hoped.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and António Costa, President of the European Council, said: “Your dignity honors the bravery of the Ukrainian people. Be strong, be brave, be fearless. You are never alone, dear President Zelenskyy. “
Additional reporting from Henry Foy in Brussels and Leila Abboud in Paris
