Donald Trump-Zelenskyy Meet Highlights: Ukrainian President Thanks US, Trump For Support During War

The stunning shouting match at the White House between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy ended up in “The Fight House”, leaving the internet in surprise.

Many users flocked to X, sharing humorous videos and memes that expressed their reactions to the clash between the two leaders in the Oval Office. Some even used AI-generated videos to depict a physical fight between Trump and Zelenskyy.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has finally left the United States, hours after a stunning clash with US President Donald Trump and VP JD Vance that shocked world leaders.

Zelenskyy had left the White House following the White House spat as Trump abruptly called off the signing of a minerals deal that was expected to be a step closer to ending the war. With Trump’s admonishment that he was not interested in peace, Zelenskyy leaves US empty-handed with an uncertain future.

After the fiery spat between Trump and Zelenskyy, the way forward for Kyiv looks increasingly uncertain. Brian Finucane, a senior adviser at the Crisis Group, told AFP that the showdown at the White House was unprecedented but not entirely surprising.

“There are rumours from the administration that it may curtail arms shipments to Ukraine currently in the pipeline under presidential drawdown authority,” said Ukrainian political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko.

Hindu-American leader Tulsi Gabbard, the new US Director of Intelligence, thanked President Donald Trump for his “unwavering leadership” after his clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Friday.

“Thank you @realDonaldTrump for your unwavering leadership in standing up for the interests of the American people, and peace,” Gabbard wrote on X.

The fiery clash between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump in the White House will speed up Washington’s efforts to investigate any waste, fraud and abuse involving US aid to Ukraine, according to a US official.

“They’re (Elon Musk and his DOGE) already finding problems,” the official told Reuters, without providing additional details.

The fiery altercation between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday shocked the world. The heated exchange between the two leaders quickly dominated global headlines, and the incident, which involved some shouting, spread quickly across social media, drawing even more attention.

Kaitlan Collins, CNN’s Chief White House Correspondent, shared key details about the aftermath of the Oval Office confrontation on the social media platform X. “Here’s what happened inside the White House after the Oval Office shouting match,” Collins wrote. “Trump huddled with his key advisers immediately afterward inside the Oval.”

Russia reacted with glee on Friday to the bitter clash between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the White House. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Trump showed “restraint” by not “punching” the Ukrainian leader.

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said Zelenskyy received a “solid slap”, while Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, called the confrontation between the American and Ukrainian leaders “historic.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday repeatedly refused to apologise for his heated Oval Office clash with US President Donald Trump, but expressed confidence that their relationship could be “salvaged.”

While Zelenskyy maintained that he “did not do anything wrong” when questioned about the heated exchange with Trump, he noted that the confrontation was “bad for both sides.”

Volodymyr Zelenskyy was seen hopping into his SUV outside the White House on Friday afternoon after he got into a heated exchange with US President Donald Trump and VP JD Vance. He was scheduled to speak before the Hudson Institute, but the event was cancelled.

Zelenskyy joined Fox News‘ Bret Baier for an exclusive interview, where he addressed his confrontation with Trump and the future of US-Ukraine relations.

Following the heated exchange, Zelenskyy took to X to ‘thank’ Donald Trump and the US in an apparent dig. “Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that,” he said.

This came as JD Vance slammed the Ukrainian leader for “not thanking” the US and Trump himself for trying to end the war. Trump also said that Zelenskyy should be “thankful” to the US.

US Democrats strongly criticised Donald Trump and JD Vance, accusing them of acting in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s interests. “Trump and Vance are doing Putin’s dirty work. Senate Democrats will never stop fighting for freedom and democracy,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Other senators called the interaction a “sad scene” and an “utter embarrassment for America”. Even some Republicans disagreed with Trump’s approach.

Ukrainians on the streets of Kyiv rallied around President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after a tense back-and-forth with Donald Trump and JD Vance. “Trump finally understood that Zelenskyy is a president that will not just give up,” Mila, an HR manager, told Reuters.

On social media, Ukrainian officials and other prominent individuals were also supportive of Zelenskyy, calling for unity in a country exhausted by three years of gruelling battle.

Hours after the spat, Trump said that Zelenskyy overplayed his hand while negotiating for peace. He said the United States wished to end the conflict and not prolong the war for another decade. Trump also remarked that Zelenskyy wanted to return for further talks, but he refused to allow him back to the Oval Office.

“We had a meeting today, as you know, with President Zelenskyy, and I would say it didn’t work out exactly great from his standpoint. I think he very much overplayed his hand. We’re looking for peace. We’re not looking for somebody that’s going to sign up a strong power and then not make peace because they feel emboldened,” he told reporters much after the White House spat.

Almost all European leaders, including Britain’s Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, Spanish President Pedro Sanchez, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Chancellor-elect Friedrich Merz, came out in support of Ukraine after the White House clash between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Leaders from Poland, Moldovo, Lithuania, Latvia, Norway, Sweden, Luxemburg, Estonia as well as Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and Australian PM Anthony Albanese also backed Ukraine. However, far-right leaders like Hungarian PM Viktor Orban and Alice Weidel of Germany’s AfD praised Trump and Vance.

Ukraine Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova’s reaction while witnessing the historic diplomatic clash between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday went viral soon after the talks came to an end.

The ambassador appeared disappointed as Trump criticised the Ukrainian leader and warned that he is “gambling with World War Three”.

US President Donald Trump’s backers hailed him for standing up for America, slamming Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “disrespectful” attitude. “President Trump is trying to achieve peace and this economic deal was part of it. Instead, President Zelensky chose to come into the Oval Office and downplay American contributions to defending Ukraine and disrespect our country,” said Security Advisor Mike Waltz.

“Zelensky destroyed himself in the eyes of the American people,” said Elon Musk. Vivek Ramaswamy wrote, “Modern-day peace through strength. Well said by @realDonaldTrump today.

During the meeting, Zelenskyy had openly challenged Trump over his approach toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging him to “make no compromises with a killer.” Things got heated when JD Vance, in a nod towards former President Joe Biden, said chest-thumping was not the way for diplomacy.

Challenging Vance, Zelenskyy said, “He killed our people and he didn’t exchange prisoners. We signed the exchange of prisoners, but he didn’t do it. What kind of diplomacy, JD, are you speaking about? What do you mean?” In response, Vance said it was disrespectful of Zelenskyy to “try to litigate this in front of the American media”.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy was expected to sign the deal with Donald Trump, allowing the US greater access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals and hold a joint news conference, but that plan was scrapped after the heated engagement between the two leaders in front of the news media.

Zelenskyy left the White House shortly after the verbal exchange that shocked journalists in the Oval Office. The Ukrainian leader was asked to leave the White House by top Trump advisers shortly after Trump shouted at him.

During the exchange at the Oval Office, Trump told Zelenskyy, “You’re right now not in a very good position. You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position and he (JD Vance) happens to be right about.”

“You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. Think you’re gambling with World War three, you’re gambling with World War three, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country. This country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people said they should have.”

During the heated exchange, Trump told Zelenskyy, “You don’t have the cards right now,” as the two leaders interrupted each other forcefully in front of TV cameras.

When Zelenskyy said the US would feel the war in the future, Trump said, “Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. You are in no position to dictate that, remember that.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting with President Trump and Vice President JD Vance at the White House on Friday escalated into a shouting match that was broadcast worldwide, plunging US-Ukraine ties to a new low.

The last 10 minutes of the nearly 45-minute engagement devolved into a tense back and forth between Trump, US Vice President JD Vance and Zelenskyy. Trump and Vance accused Zelenskyy of disrespect, with Trump blasting him for leading to a potential World War III.