The president of the United States, Donald Trump, and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, openly argued in the White House on Friday while colliding with the need to commit to what the Ukrainian President called the “murderer” leader of Russia.
Trump rebuked Zelensky as they sat in the oval office, telling him more “grateful” and saying: “You are not in a position to dictate what we are going to feel.” He told the Ukrainian president to “make an agreement” with Russia “or we are out.”
The American vice president JD Vance, sitting close, also attacked Zelensky, calling him “disrespectful.” Zelensky seemed to try but was cut.
The extraordinary outbreak occurred after Trump said Ukraine would have to make “commitments” in a truce with Russia, which launched a large -scale invasion of its neighbor three years ago.
“You cannot make any agreement without compromises. So you will certainly have to make some commitments, but I hope they are not as big as some people think, “Trump said.
But showing Trump photos of atrocities of war and referring to Russian president Vladimir Putin, Zelensky said there should be no “do not commit to a murderer in our territory.”
“The crazy Russians,” he said, deported Ukrainian children and committed war crimes during their three -year invasion of their country.
Trump lashed out at Zelensky, who said “did not act at all grateful” and not “pleasant.”
“You are playing with the lives of millions of people,” Trump said. “You are playing with World War Tres, and what you are doing is very disrespectful with the country, this country.”
The dramatic public breakdown in the long time relationship between Zelensky and Trump occurred after his meeting, in front of a large group of journalists, seemed to have a more friendly beginning.
Zelensky had said: “I think President Trump is on our side.” He said he would talk to the president of the United States about the “crucial” need of a call “backup” of American security to any European deployments for the maintenance of peace that monitors an eventual truce.
“This is crucial, this is what we want to talk about, this is very important,” he said.
Trump has alarmed kyiv and European allies with his abrupt turn in U in the policy of the United States, ending what had been the full support for Ukraine’s attempt to defeat the Russian invasion and suicide as a mediator between Putin and Zelensky.
Trump said in the Oval office that he had “spoken on numerous occasions” to Putin, more than has been publicly informed beyond the long called between the two leaders in early February.
Trump had told Zelensky that a truce is “quite close.” He also said that an agreement that was ready to sign with Zelensky, allowing US exploitation of Ukraine’s natural resources would be “very fair.”
The resources agreement is intended to give the United States access to the rare land and other critical minerals as part of a general plan to help Ukraine recover after a truce.
Zelensky told Trump that he should visit his nation in conflict. “You have to come and look.”
