Kyiv [Ukraine], March 1: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's meeting with Donald Trump ended in disaster on Friday.
This is after the two leaders engaged in an extraordinary shouting match before the world's media at the White House over the war with Russia.
Zelenskiy had coveted the meeting in the White House to help his country convince the United States not to side with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who ordered the invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
Instead U.S. President Trump and Vice President JD Vance attacked the Ukrainian leader, saying he showed disrespect, underlining how the change of administration in Washington has undermined Kyiv's attempts to maintain Western support for its war effort.
Trump has sided with Putin since taking over as president, shocking his traditional allies in Europe and beyond and leaving Ukraine increasingly vulnerable. Friday's outburst was the most public display of that shift to date.
Vance stressed the need for diplomacy to resolve the biggest conflict in Europe since World War Two, while Zelenskiy, with his arms folded, countered that Putin could not be trusted in any talks and noted that Vance had never visited Ukraine.
Trump quickly took to Truth Social to accuse Zelenskiy of disrespecting the United States.
"I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved," he wrote, using an alternative spelling of the leader's name. "He can come back when he is ready for Peace."
Zelenskiy conducted the meeting in his non-native English, and as it progressed he was drowned out by Trump and Vance.
"You're not in a good position. You don't have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards," Trump said.
"I'm not playing cards, I'm very serious, Mr. President," Zelenskiy said.
"You're playing cards. You're gambling with the lives of millions of people, you're gambling with World War Three," the U.S. president continued.
Russian former President Dmitry Medvedev appeared to revel in the spectacle, writing on Telegram that Trump had delivered the "truth" to Zelenskiy and saying the Ukrainian leader had received a "brutal dressing down in the Oval Office."
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
