President Trump and Vice President JD Vance loudly berated President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Friday in an explosive televised shouting match unlike any seen in the Oval Office between an American president and foreign leader in modern times.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance castigated Mr. Zelensky for not being grateful enough for U.S. support in its war with Russia and sought to strong-arm him into making a peace deal on whatever terms the Americans dictate. With voices raised and tempers flaring, Mr. Trump threatened to abandon Ukraine altogether if Mr. Zelensky did not go along.
Talking over the Ukrainian leader, Mr. Vance told Mr. Zelensky that it was “disrespectful” for him to come to the Oval Office and make his case in front of the American news media and demanded that he thank Mr. Trump for his leadership. Mr. Trump jumped in and told the Ukrainian leader, “You’re not really in a good position right now” and that “you’re gambling with World War III.”
“You’re either going to make a deal or we’re out,” Mr. Trump added. “And if we’re out, you’ll fight it out and I don’t think it’s going to be pretty.”
Minutes later, Mr. Trump seemed to call off the rest of the visit. “I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations,” he wrote on social media. “I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
Mr. Zelensky soon departed the White House in a black S.U.V.
The exchange in front of television cameras was one of the most dramatic moments ever to play out in public in the Oval Office and underscored the radical break between the United States and Ukraine since Mr. Trump took office. Mr. Trump has effectively sided with Russia while falsely blaming Ukraine for starting the war and calling Mr. Zelensky a “dictator.”
Mr. Zelensky’s hurriedly arranged visit to Washington on Friday was meant to smooth over the rift and seal an agreement demanded by Mr. Trump in which Ukraine would hand over many billions of dollars’ worth of mineral rights to repay military aid provided by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Congress over the three years since Russia’s full-fledged invasion in 2022.
Mr. Trump seemed ready to make nice with Mr. Zelensky by telling reporters on Thursday that he did not remember the dictator comment and expressing respect for the Ukrainian leader. He welcomed Mr. Zelensky at the door of the West Wing on Friday morning with an honor guard, and they shook hands politely but without evident warmth.
The encounter, though, quickly turned hostile shortly after they sat down in the Oval Office with journalists present. Mr. Zelensky, dressed in his usual dark, long-sleeved shirt, sought to explain the history of the war with Russia, noting that it went back to 2014 when Moscow first seized Crimea and occupied territory in eastern Ukraine.
But Mr. Vance interrupted and began assailing Mr. Zelensky. “I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate in front of the American media,” he lectured. “You should be thanking the president.”
He accused Mr. Zelensky of mounting a “propaganda tour” in the United States. “Do you think it’s respectful to come to the Oval Office and attack the administration that’s trying to prevent the destruction of your country?”
Mr. Zelensky tried to respond to Mr. Vance’s assertions and said that the United States could feel threatened by Russia some day. “You have a nice ocean and don’t feel now, but you will feel it in the future,” he said.
That triggered Mr. Trump, who cut him off. “Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel,” he said, raising his voice. “You’re not in a good position, you don’t have the cards right now.” He added, “You’re gambling with World War III.”
Mr. Vance jumped back in. “Have you said thank you once?”
Mr. Trump’s blowup with Mr. Zelensky contrasts with his assessment of Mr. Putin, whom he has only praised since winning a second term. Just this week, the president called Mr. Putin “a very smart guy” and “a very cunning person.” He said that he believed that Mr. Putin really wants peace, and predicted on Thursday that “he’ll keep his word” if a deal is reached, despite multiple Russian violations of agreements in the past.
While he has spoken with Mr. Putin by telephone, Mr. Trump has given little sense of how he expects to negotiate either a cease-fire or an enduring peace agreement. During last year’s campaign, he promised to end the war within 24 hours and to do so even before his inauguration, neither of which he actually did.
Since taking office, Mr. Trump has demanded that Ukraine turn over some of its natural resources as payback for military aid provided under President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to defend itself against Russia. While Mr. Trump has repeatedly and falsely claimed that the United States has contributed $350 billion and Europe only $100 billion, in fact, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Europe has allocated $138 billion compared with $119 billion from the United States.