**US President Trump Clashes with Ukraine’s Zelensky at White House**
US President Donald Trump had a heated exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House. The two leaders were supposed to sign a minerals deal, but the meeting ended abruptly.
Trump told Zelensky that he needed to make a deal with Russia “or we are out”. He also said that Ukraine was “gambling with World War Three” by not making concessions to reach a peace deal with Russia.
Zelensky had earlier argued that there should be “no compromises” with Russian President Vladimir Putin. But Trump disagreed, saying that Kyiv would have to make concessions to reach a peace deal.
**Ukraine Leaves Before Deal Can Be Signed**
The meeting turned sour after US Vice-President JD Vance told Zelensky that the war in Ukraine had to end through diplomacy. Zelensky responded by asking “what kind of diplomacy?”, referencing a previous ceasefire deal in 2019.
Vance then accused Zelensky of being disrespectful and “litigating” the situation in front of the media. From there, the discussion escalated quickly, with Trump and Vance accusing Ukraine’s president of being ungrateful for three years’ of US support during the war with Russia.
**Reactions from US Politicians**
Reaction to the meeting among US politicians appeared to fall along partisan lines, with Republicans praising Trump and Democrats criticizing him. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said that Zelensky “either needs to resign or change”, while Democratic House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries described Zelensky’s treatment as “appalling”.
**Global Reaction**
In Ukraine, there was broadly appreciation for Zelensky holding his ground over what is, for them, an existential war. Key European allies, including France and Germany, also expressed support for Zelensky.
Russia, on the other hand, said that Trump and Vance had acted with restraint and even praised them for not hitting Zelensky.
