(CN) — In extraordinarily heated scenes inside the Oval Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy argued with U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance in front of the world’s media before cutting short his Friday visit to the White House.
Zelenskyy arrived at the White House to sign a sweeping Ukrainian economic development deal with Trump, but the Oval Office meeting went badly off course as the two sides repeatedly disagreed. The deal was reportedly not signed and a news conference was canceled.
In a statement, Trump said Zelenskyy was “not ready for peace” and that he “disrespected the United States in its cherished Oval Office.” Trump ended his statement by saying, “he can come back when he is ready for peace.”
The dramatic falling out had the potential to leave relations between Ukraine and the U.S. badly damaged. It also threw into jeopardy the continued military support from the U.S. to Ukraine as it struggles to hold off Russian advances across the frontlines in Ukraine.
The Oval Office hostilities were sparked by Trump’s insistence on ending the war with a ceasefire and Zelenskyy saying Ukraine would only feel safe once Russian President Vladimir Putin’s troops were driven from Ukrainian territories and his country brought under Western military protection.
Trump and Zelenskyy took questions from journalists over the course of 50 minutes. As the meeting evolved the Ukrainian leader grew more uncomfortable and combative while Trump portrayed himself as a “peacemaker” who’s capable of standing up to Putin.
Trump accused Zelenskyy of “gambling with World War III” by not going along with his plans to broker a peace deal with Putin. He repeated that Zelenskyy’s had a very “weak hand” and that he needed to agree to a ceasefire.
But Zelenskyy insisted Ukraine could not allow Russia to retain territories it has occupied and that Putin’s goal was to destroy Ukraine as a country.
He claimed Putin would attack the Baltic nations and Poland in a bid to reconstitute the former Soviet Union unless he is stopped in Ukraine.
“Putin wants to bring them back to his empire,” Zelenskyy said and added that in that scenario American troops would be forced to fight Russia.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine must be provided more weapons and U.S. protection to defeat Putin.
“He hates Ukrainians, he thinks we are not a nation,” Zelenskyy said. “He wants to destroy us.”
Trump retorted that he would be able to get Putin to agree to a peace deal and end the war. He rejected Zelenskyy’s demands for American security guarantees and argued a deal allowing the U.S. to have a stake in developing Ukraine’s minerals would serve as a security guarantee.
“Your country is in big trouble. You’re not winning,” Trump told Zelenskyy. “You have a damn good chance of coming out OK because of us …. We gave you military equipment … If you didn’t have our military equipment, this war would’ve been over in two weeks.”
The discussions grew extremely tense when Vance spoke out against Zelenskyy for seeking to continue the war.
“I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media,” Vance said.
Vance said Zelenskyy “should be thanking the president” for trying to bring the war to an end when Ukraine is “forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems.”
European leaders rallied to Zelenskyy’s defense while reaction in the U.S. split along party lines.
“Trump and Vance are doing Putin’s dirty work,” said Senator Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, on social media. The Trump administration has been accused of cozying up to Putin in talks over Ukraine.
“Ukrainians have fought tooth-and-nail on the frontlines of democracy against Russian aggression,” said Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois. He said Trump and Vance’s words were “rude and utterly shameful” toward Zelenskyy.
Representative Victoria Spartz, an Indiana Republican who is Ukrainian-American, blasted Zelenskyy for “doing a serious disservice to the Ukrainian people” by “insulting the American president and the American people.”
“This is not a theater act but a real war,” she said, an apparent reference to Zelenskyy’s former career as a television comedian. She accused Zelenskyy of failing “miserably to defend his country.”
In Europe, Zelenskyy found widespread support.
“Your dignity honors the bravery of the Ukrainian people,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “Be strong, be brave, be fearless. You are never alone, dear President Zelenskyy.”
“Russia is the aggressor,” said French President Emmanuel Macron. “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.”
Courthouse News reporter Cain Burdeau is based in the European Union.