Donald Trump gave a seven word response when asked if he kicked Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy out of the White House during the televised meeting on Friday (28 February).
The President of the United States, alongside Vice President JD Vance, sat down with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office to discuss the ongoing war in Russia, along with a minerals agreement.
However, it didn’t take long for the encounter to escalate into a heated confrontation, which looks to have damaged US-Ukraine relations.
Tensions boiled over when Vance demanded that Zelenskyy should express gratitude for US’s military support to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy then responded with gratitude, but also highlighted the ongoing challenges his country still faces.
This is when Trump went on to criticise Zelenskyy, something he did a lot during the meeting, warning that Ukraine was ‘gambling with world war three’ without U.S. support.
US President Donald Trump clashed with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards,” he said.
Following the fallout, the 78-year-old was asked if he told Zelenskyy to leave the White House.
“I don’t have to tell you that,” he replied.
“I think you know the answer to that.”
This comes after Sir Keir Starmer told Zelenskyy he has ‘full backing across the United Kingdom’, after the two met in Downing Street on Saturday (1 March).
The two nations have signed a £2.26 billion loan deal for the UK to provide Ukrainian military supplies, which will be repaid using profits from frozen Russian assets.
The meeting shocked viewers around the world (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
As cheers could be heard from outside, Sir Keir told the Ukrainian leader: “That is the people of the United Kingdom coming out to demonstrate how much they support you, how much they support Ukraine.”
He added: “We stand with you and Ukraine for as long as it may take.”
Zelensky replied: “I saw a lot of people and I want to thank you, the people of the United Kingdom, [for] such big support from the very beginning of this war.”
After the controversial meeting in the White House, Zelensky has attempted to mend ties with the US.
In a statement, he said: “Despite the tough dialogue, we remain strategic partners. But we need to be honest and direct with each other to truly understand our shared goals.”
Taking to social media, the political leader added: “It’s crucial for us to have President Trump’s support. He wants to end the war, but no-one wants peace more than we do.
“We are the ones living this war in Ukraine. It’s a fight for our freedom, for our very survival.”
