Many Ukrainians believed that the Ukrainian leader had stood up for their country's dignity and interests by firmly maintaining his stance in the face of chiding from some of the world's most powerful men.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's United States visit ended in an unexpected note after his meeting with US President Donald Trump led to a verbal spat in front of world media and instead of being a potential step for ending the ongoing war with Russia, the meeting seems to push US security backing farther away in future.
The heated exchange saw a frustrated Zelenskyy lectured by Trump and Vice President JD Vance over what they saw as his lack of gratitude for previous US support, while the officials in Moscow saw it as a final breakdown in relations between Washington and the Ukrainian leader.
The meeting at the White House was meant to produce a bilateral agreement that would establish a joint investment fund for reconstructing Ukraine.
Many Ukrainians believed that the Ukrainian leader had stood up for their country's dignity and interests by firmly maintaining his stance in the face of chiding from some of the world's most powerful men.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine won't enter peace talks with Russia until it has security guarantees against another offensive.
Zelenskyy said that Trump - who insists Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to end the three-year grinding war - needs to understand that Ukraine can't change attitudes toward Russia on a dime.
President Donald Trump has said he wants an “immediate” ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, and warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to make peace or lose American support. Trump said he believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched the invasion of Ukraine three years ago, is ready for a peace deal.
Zelenskyy urged the US administration to be more sceptical of the Russian leader's intentions.
Zelenskyy also called Russian President Vladimir Putin a terrorist and told Trump that Ukraine and the world need “no compromises with a killer.” “Even during the war there are rules,” he added.
Trump said the US would continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine, but said he hoped that not too much aid would be forthcoming. “We're not looking forward to sending a lot of arms,” Trump said. “We're looking forward to getting the war finished so we can do other things.”
Trump suggested that Zelenskyy wasn't in a position to be demanding concessions. "You're not in a good position. You don't have the cards right now,” Trump said pointing his finger toward Zelenskyy. “With us you start having cards.”
He also accused Zelenskyy of being “disrespectful” to the US.
A shouting match unfolded in the final minutes of the highly anticipated meeting between the two leaders on Friday.
The verbal spat began with Vance telling Zelenskyy, “Mr. President, with respect. I think it's disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.” He added, “Again, just say thank you,” as he blasted him for litigating “disagreements” in front of the press.
Zelenskyy tried to object, prompting Trump to raise his voice and say, “You're gambling with the lives of millions of people.”
Trump responded saying, “You're gambling with World War III, and what you're doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that's backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have."
Further Trump said, “You're not acting at all thankful,” Trump said, before adding, “This is going to be great television.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thanked US President Donald Trump and the country for its support after departing the White House following an unprecedented showdown in the Oval Office with the American leader and Vice President J D Vance.
As Zelenskyy and his team departed the White House at Trump's request, the deal went unsigned, and Ukraine's hopes for securing US security backing seemed farther away than ever.
Soon after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy left the White House after the unprecedented verbal spat with President Donald Trump, Ukrainians in support of Zelenskyy defended their country.
Many Ukrainians believed that the Ukrainian leader had stood up for their country's dignity and interests by firmly maintaining his stance in the face of chiding from some of the world's most powerful men.
Nataliia Serhiienko, 67, a retiree in Kyiv, told the Associated Press that she thinks Ukrainians approve of their president's performance in Washington, "because Zelenskyy fought like a lion”.
“They had a heated meeting, a very heated conversation,” she said. But Zelenskyy "was defending Ukraine's interests”.
As two drones struck Ukraine's second-largest city Kharkiv on Friday night, the head of the region which sits on the border with Russia, Oleh Syniehubov, praised Zelenskyy. He said the president held strong to his insistence that no peace deal could be made without assurances for Ukraine's security against future Russian aggression.
“Our leader, despite the pressure, stands firm in defending the interests of Ukraine and Ukrainians... We need only a just peace with security guarantees,” Syniehubov told AP.
Kyiv resident Artem Vasyliev, 37, reportedly told media he had seen “complete disrespect” from the United States in the Oval Office exchange, despite the fact that Ukraine “was the first country that stood up to Russia”.
“We are striving for democracy, and we are met with total disrespect, toward our warriors, our soldiers, and the people of our country,” said Vasyliev, a native of Russian-occupied Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.
Vasyliev criticised the US president for what he said was a failure to recognise the human cost of Russia's invasion, saying Trump "doesn't understand that people are dying, that cities are being destroyed, people are suffering, mothers, children, soldiers”.
“He cannot understand this, he is just a businessman. For him, money is sacred,” he said.
Ukrainian social media was awash in praise for Zelenskyy late Friday, with officials on the national, regional and local level chiming in to voice their support for their leader.
The outpouring resembled a recent surge in Ukrainian unity after Trump denigrated Zelenskyy by making false claims that Ukraine was led by a “dictator” who started the war with Russia — comments that led some of the Ukrainian president's harshest critics to rally around him.
Oleksandr Prokudin, head of Ukraine's southern Kherson region, which was mostly occupied by Russia early in the war but later partially retaken by Ukrainian forces, said three years of war had hardened his countrymen to the ups and downs of the fight to survive.
“We know what pressure is, on the front lines, in politics, in daily struggle," Prokudin said. "It has made us stronger. It has made the president stronger. Determination is the force that drives us forward. And I am confident that we will endure this time as well.”
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that he hoped “that Ukraine does not lose the support of the United States, which is extremely important to us”.
“Today is not the time for emotions, from either side. We need to find common ground,” Klitschko wrote in a post on Telegram.
(With AP inputs)