Trump, Zelenskyy clash in White House meeting, 'Make a deal or US is out'

US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday clashed repeatedly in their meeting at the White House, with Zelenskyy urging Trump to be cautious with Russia and Trump accusing him of being disrespectful. Following the heated exchange, Trump cut short his talks with Zelenskyy.

The leaders cancelled their joint press conference, and Zelenskyy left the White House without signing the mineral deal.

At the meeting, the Ukrainian president warned Trump that Vladimir Putin's promises of peace cannot be trusted, citing the Russian leader’s history of broken commitments. In response, Trump asserted that Putin has never reneged on agreements with him. The last 10 minutes of the nearly 45-minute engagement turned into an intense back and forth, with Trump shouting at Zelenskyy.

“You’ve



got to be more thankful...Your comments were very disrespectful,” Trump told Zelenskyy. He added the Ukrainian leader is “gambling with World War III”.

"People are dying... you're running low on soldiers," he told Zelenskyy, adding that he either needed to make a deal or the United States would pull out.

"You're either going to make a deal, or we're out, and if we're out, you'll fight it out. I don't think it's going to be pretty... You don't have the cards. Once we sign that deal, you're in a much better position. But you're not acting at all thankful, and that's not a nice thing. I'll be honest. "That's not a nice thing," the US President added.

Zelenskiy urged Trump to make "no compromises with a killer," referring to Vladimir Putin, as he slammed the US President's softer approach towards the Russian President.