Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting with United States President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, ended abruptly after the two leaders clashed in a heated exchange over Russia’s war against Kyiv.
At the Oval Office on Friday, Trump and his vice president, JD Vance, berated Zelenskyy for being “disrespectful” and not thanking the US enough for its support.
“You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people,” Trump shouted. “You’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country – this country.”
Zelenskyy, who was meeting with Trump to convince him not to side with Russian President Vladimir Putin and discuss possible US security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, told Trump that there would be “no compromises with a killer on our territory”.
As the Ukrainian leader left the White House shortly after the verbal match, Trump took to the Truth Social social media app, which he owns, to write that Zelenskyy was not “ready for peace if America is involved”.
“He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for peace,” he added.
Zelenskyy posted on X after the meeting to thank the US for its support.
“Thank you POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that,” he wrote.
Here is how some world leaders reacted to the heated dispute:
Russia
Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of the Russian Security Council, wrote on Telegram that Trump had given Ukraine a “strong slap on the wrist”.
“For the first time, Trump told the cocaine clown the truth to his face: The Kyiv regime is playing with the Third World War. And the ungrateful pig received a strong slap on the wrist from the owners of the pigsty. This is useful. But it’s not enough – we must stop military aid to the Nazi machine,” said Medvedev, who is also a former Russian president.
Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, also praised Trump for showing “restraint” with the Ukrainian leader, whom she called a “scumbag”.
“I think Zelenskyy’s biggest lie of all his lies was his assertion in the White House that the Kyiv regime in 2022 was alone, without support,” she wrote on Telegram. “How Trump and Vance held back from hitting that scumbag is a miracle of restraint.”
European Union
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted a message of solidarity with Zelenskyy, writing on X: “Your dignity honors the bravery of the Ukrainian people. Be strong, be brave, be fearless.”
The bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, meanwhile, said it was clear that “the free world needs a new leader”.
“Ukraine is Europe! We stand by Ukraine,” she said in a social media post.
“We will step up our support to Ukraine so that they can continue to fight back [against] the aggressor,” she added. “Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge.”
France
French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters in Portugal that Russia is the “aggressor” in the Ukraine war and Ukrainians are the “aggressed people”.
“I think we were all right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago, and to continue to do so. We, that is the United States of America, the Europeans, the Canadians, the Japanese and many others,” Macron said.
“And we must thank all those who have helped and respect those who have been fighting since the beginning. Because they are fighting for their dignity, their independence, their children and the security of Europe. These are simple things, but they’re good to remember at times like these, that’s all,” he added.
Germany
Outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, “Ukraine can rely on Germany and on Europe.”
“No one wants peace more than the citizens of Ukraine! That is why we are jointly seeking the path to a lasting and just peace,” he said.
Johann Wadephul, a top legislator from incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s party, also backed Ukraine.
“The scenes from the White House are shocking,” he wrote on X. “How can you stab the president of an invaded country in the back like this? Free Europe will not betray Ukraine!”