Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump ended in a heated exchange at the White House, highlighting tensions over the ongoing war with Russia.
Zelensky sought to secure continued U.S. support against Russian aggression, while Trump pushed for a quick peace deal with Moscow. Trump criticized Zelensky for being ungrateful and insisted that diplomacy was necessary to end the conflict, while Zelensky argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin could not be trusted. Trump threatened to withdraw U.S. aid unless Ukraine pursued peace, accusing Zelensky of not being thankful and disrespecting the U.S.
Their disagreement overshadowed negotiations on a proposed U.S.-Ukraine natural resource deal, which ended abruptly after Zelensky left the White House early without signing the agreement. The deal would grant U.S. access to Ukraine’s natural resources but lacked security guarantees for Ukraine.
