Here are some images from Friday’s dramatic clash in the Oval Office…
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called for Zelenskyy to change his tune or resign, just hours after attending a friendly meeting between Zelenskyy and a dozen senators, Reuters reports.
“What I saw in the Oval Office was disrespectful, and I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelenskyy again,” Graham told reporters as he left the White House after the shouting match heard around the world.
“He either needs to resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change,” the South Carolina senator said.
Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty, who was ambassador to Japan during Trump’s first term, posted on X: “The United States of America will no longer be taken for granted.”
Not every Republican was on Trump’s side. New York Representative Mike Lawler, called the Oval Office meeting “a missed opportunity for both the United States and Ukraine — an agreement that would undoubtedly result in stronger economic and security cooperation.”
Representative Don Bacon, a moderate Republican from Nebraska, threw his support behind Kyiv. “A bad day for America’s foreign policy. Ukraine wants independence, free markets and rule of law. It wants to be part of the West. Russia hates us and our Western values. We should be clear that we stand for freedom,” he said in a statement.
Zelenskiy visited Washington to help broker an agreement to jointly develop Ukraine’s rich natural resources with the United States.
Representative Michael McCaul, chairman emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he still hoped for a real and lasting peace that ensures Ukraine would be free from further Russian aggression. “I also urge President Zelensky to sign the mineral deal immediately,” the Texas lawmaker posted on X. “It will create an economic partnership between the United States and Ukraine. It is in both of our interests to get this deal done.”
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Tory leader Kemy Badenoch said “Respectable diplomacy is essential for peace,” following the heated exchange between Trump and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office.
In a social media post, the leader of the opposition wrote on Friday:
We need to remember that the villain is the war criminal President Putin who illegally invaded another sovereign country - Ukraine. A divided West only benefits Russia. Now is the time for more cooperation, not less.
Badenoch insisted that any peace agreement must be reached with Ukraine at the table and will require security guarantees.
“We cannot lose sight of the fact that tonight air raid sirens are sounding in Ukraine,” she added.
Meanwhile, A statement from No 10 on Friday night confirmed the prime minister had “unwavering support for Ukraine”.
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Russia’s President Vladimir Putin met with a senior North Korean official in Moscow earlier this week, Pyongyang’s state media said Saturday, reports the Agence France-Presse.
On the same day, South Korea’s spy agency said the North had deployed more troops to Russia to fight Ukraine, without disclosing how many.
Seoul’s intelligence added that North Korea had redeployed its soldiers to the front line in Kursk, where Ukraine previously said they had been withdrawn following heavy losses.
Ri Hi Yong, a member of North Korea’s Politburo and secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, shared a meeting with Putin in the Kremlin, the official Korean Central News Agency said.
During the meeting, Putin thanked North Korea for “its positive support to the Russian Federation”, it said.
The Kremlin confirmed the meeting in a statement on Thursday.
Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has officially acknowledged that North Koreans have been deployed to fight against Ukraine.
Republican Congressman says the only winner from Trump-Zelenskyy row was Putin
The very public clash between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump looked more like a scene from the WWE than a diplomatic meeting held between world leaders, and the fallout has unsettled Trump’s supporters in the media and in Congress.
Not everyone in the Republican Party shares Trump’s seeming admiration for Vladimir Putin.
Republican Congressman Mike Lawler told PBS News that Friday’s meeting was a “missed opportunity” and the “only winner here was Vladimir Putin”.
He also said it was “unfortunate” that the row spilt out into the public.
“The only winner here was Vladimir Putin and Russia because a deal did not come to be, which is also why I believe it’s critically important for Zelenskyy and Trump to get back together and work towards finalising an agreement,” he said.
“When this conflict does come to an end, and it will at some point, Ukraine is going to need significant US and European investment to rebuild.”
Ukrainian MP Lisa Yasko says the heated argument between Trump and Zelenskyy in the White House yesterday “was a big shock...especially for ordinary Ukrainians who still believed that the US and the West would help us”.
“It’s not a gamble. It’s about millions of people. So this is very sensitive to all of us,” she tells BBC’s 5 Live, adding: “We want to end war, but we also want to have respect. And we also don’t want to forget who the aggressor is.”
She adds: “Every conversation is about people’s lives.”
“Sometimes you have to say no, if you understand that it will not bring you long term peace. A ceasefire without any understanding of future security is not going to help us,” she says.
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Pilots of the rapid response command of the Phoenix reconnaissance-strike UAV systems from the Pomsta (Vengeance) Brigade of the State Border Guard Service successfully destroyed Russian targets in the Luhansk region, reports the Ukrinform news agency.
“Pilots of the rapid response command of the Phoenix reconnaissance-strike UAV systems from the Pomsta (Vengeance) Brigade have effectively destroyed infantry, weaponry, and enemy armoured vehicles in the areas of Kreminna and Serebrianskyi forest. A tank, a cannon, 16 vehicles of the invaders, a repeater, and enemy infantry are reported to have been destroyed,” the statement on Telegram reads.
Meanwhile, in the Odesa region, Russian drones caused extensive fires, killed one person and injured three others.
The Russian defence ministry says Russian forces have captured Burlatske in eastern Ukraine.
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The Ukranian people are 'not alone' says Zelensky after vocal support from world leaders
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says it is “very important” that the Ukraine is heard and not forgotten after his calamitous meeting with Donald Trump in the White House on Friday.
The Ukrainian leader said: “People in Ukraine need to know that they are not alone, that their interests are represented in every country, in every corner of the world.”
It’s warming up in Kyiv. The temperature has risen from -5C to 4C. Sometimes, the sun peeps through breaks in the clouds, but Kyivites are not much cheered by the sunshine. They are not watching for signs of spring as they usually do at this time of year. The atmosphere in the city and in the country as a whole has been one of nervous expectation. This was not an expectation of an end to military action or the signing of a peace treaty with Russia – nothing so specific. Indeed, it was not at all clear what we were waiting for, but it was something connected with Donald Trump and the change in US policy towards Ukraine.
Clarity emerged at today’s macabre theatre at the White House: handshakes, a thumbs up and some fist pumps from the US president, before Trump sat side by side with Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss a minerals-for-war-support deal and to humiliate him. At the same time, air raid sirens were sounding in northern and eastern Ukraine. Soon the talks were off and Zelenskyy was gone…
Simon Smith, the former British ambassador to Ukraine, has told Sky News, says that Volodymyr Zelenskyy was “set up” by the White House team,
Smith said he had never seen anything like the two leaders’ argument yesterday. “Zelenskyy has taken a lot of punishment and has gone through a lot with heroic resilience,” he said. “To be subjected to this sort of torture in the White House session was quite astonishing.”
Smith added: “He looked very much on his own while the White House team piled into him. It showed just how deep Trump’s resentment of him still is. That goes back to Trump’s feeling that Zelenskyy didn’t help him during his first term. Also, Trump has been keen to move fast on the conflict, and Zelenskyy is infuriating him by raising objections to that plan - objections that are entirely reasonable.”
Smith also noted the different attitude Trump shows to Vladimir Putin compared to traditional allies in NATO. “He has piled all the pressure on Ukraine and subjected European allies to a lot of pressure, and Putin appears to have suffered no pressure whatsoever. There is a really worrying question here about where the US is going under Trump?”
Zelenskyy says he wants to remain friends with Trump
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared on American television on Friday after his bust up with Trump in the White House, attempting to mitigate the political damage caused by the confrontation.
“I’m very thankful to Americans for all your support,” he said in an interview with Fox News. “You helped us a lot from the very beginning... you helped us to survive.”
Asked if he owed the president an apology, Zelensky said: “I respect the president and I respect American people.”
“I think we have to be very open and very honest, and am not sure we did something bad,” he added.
He later admitted the public argument was “not good” but seemed confident that his relationship with the American president could recover.
“I just want to be honest and I just want our partners to understand the situation correctly and I want to understand everything correctly. That’s about us, not to lose our friendship,” he said.
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Ukraine destroys 103 drones launched by Russia during overnight strike, air force says
In full: Zelenskyy and Trump meeting descends into heated argument in front of the press – video
Martin Gelin, who writes for the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, penned an opinion piece for the Guardian, arguing that Donald Trump is siding with Russia over Ukraine.
“Dominique de Villepin made his name with a memorable speech to the UN security council in February 2003, just before the US-led invasion of Iraq. De Villepin, the then French foreign minister, in effect signalled France’s intention to veto a UN resolution authorising the war, forcing the US and UK to act unilaterally. He warned that Washington’s strategy would lead to chaos in the Middle East and undermine international institutions. The prophetic plea was met with applause, a rare event in the security council chamber. It led to the career diplomat’s inclusion as a character in David Hare’s 2004 anti-war play, Stuff Happens.
Now the veteran statesman, who warned about the risks of Europe’s over-reliance on the US many years before it became a mainstream opinion in Paris or Berlin, is back with advice on how to respond to the most serious breakdown in Europe’s relationship with the US in 80 years…”
Read more, here:
'Either we’re going to end it or let him fight it out' - Trump
The word extraordinary falls short of conveying just how unprecedented yesterday’s confrontation between President Trump and President Zelensky was in the Oval Office.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, however, Trump seemed to play down the significance of possibly the most disastrous display of public diplomacy in recorded history. “it didn’t work out exactly great,” says Trump, adding that Zelensky “overplayed his hand” in the exchange and repeated his claim that the Ukranian leader is dealing with a “very weak set of cards” in negotiating Ukraine’s future.
Trump says Zelensky would be “strong” if the leader signed the US-proposed minerals deal. “He’s looking to go on and fight, fight, fight, we’re looking to end the death,” Trump added.
Asked what the Ukrainian leader needs to do to re-start talks, Trump says, “he’s got to say ‘I want to make peace. Either we’re going to end it or let him fight it out”.
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JD Vance was supposed to be the inconsequential vice-president.
But his starring role in Friday’s blowup between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy – where he played a cross between Trump’s bulldog and tech bro Iago – may mark the moment that the postwar alliance between Europe and America finally collapsed.
Trump and Vance teamed up to goad Zelenskyy into a feud in the Oval Office. But it was Vance that snaked his way in first, riling up the Ukrainian president by telling him that he was leading “propaganda tours” of the destruction wrought by Russia’s invasion.
“I think it’s disrespectful to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media,” Vance said, his voice rising. “You bring people on a propaganda tour, Mr President … Do you think that it’s respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?”
“During the war, everyone has problems,” Zelenskyy replied. “But you have nice ocean and don’t feel now. But you will feel it in the future.”
“You don’t know that,” Trump interjected angrily. “You don’t know that. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel.”
The rest, as Trump would later call it, was “great television”. By design, it was disastrous for Ukraine.
For the full story, click here:
What European leaders have said since the meeting
Circling back to European leaders throwing their support behind Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his clash with Donald Trump, here are some of the political reactions from across the region, care of Agence France-Presse.
European Union chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa assured Zelenskyy that he was “never alone”. “Be strong, be brave, be fearless,” wrote the European commission and council presidents in a joint statement on social media, telling Zelensky: “We will continue working with you for a just and lasting peace.”
Emmanuel Macron said Russia was the “aggressor” in the war and “we were all right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago and to continue to do so”. The French president went further to say that “if anyone is playing at world war three, it’s Vladimir Putin”, referring to Trump’s accusations against Zelenskyy.
Germany’s likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, assured his support to Zelenskyy, saying: “We must never confuse the aggressor and the victim in this terrible war.” Outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz also voiced support for Ukraine, as did foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, who added that Kyiv’s “quest for peace and security is ours”.
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni called for the US, Europe and their allies to gather over the Ukraine war. “A summit without delay is needed... to talk frankly about how we intend to tackle today’s major challenges, starting with Ukraine.”
“Dutch support for Ukraine remains undiminished. Especially now,” prime minister Dick Schoof said on X, adding that “we want lasting peace and an end to the war of aggression that Russia has started”.
Poland also reassured Kyiv. “Dear Ukrainian friends, you are not alone,” prime minister Donald Tusk said on X in a post addressed to Zelenskyy.
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez said his country would stand by Kyiv. “Ukraine, Spain stands with you,” he said on X.
Keir Starmer vowed “unwavering support” for Kyiv. The British prime minister “is doing all he can to find a path forward to a lasting peace based on sovereignty and security for Ukraine”, a Downing Street spokesperson said.
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Ukraine’s air defences destroyed 103 of 154 drones that Russia launched in its latest overnight strike, Kyiv’s air force said on Saturday.
The other 51 drones were “locationally lost”, it said, likely as a result of electronic jamming, Reuters reports.
The astonishing scenes in the Oval Office dominated British front pages on Saturday, with newspapers united in their horror. Adjectives including disastrous and vile were used to describe the meeting in which Donald Trump and JD Vance openly berated Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Guardian (pictured) leads with a quote from Trump: “You are gambling with world war three”, characterising the meeting between the US and Ukrainian presidents as “disastrous”. In a separate sketch of the row, David Smith writes that “Trump on Friday presided over one of the greatest diplomatic disasters in modern history”.
For all the page ones, click here:
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Donald Trump had received Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House to discuss a controversial mineral resources deal that the US president has said is the first step towards a ceasefire agreement he is seeking to broker between Russia and Ukraine.
But the Friday meeting degenerated after Zelenskyy suggested that JD Vance, a skeptic of US support for Ukraine, should come to the country to see the destruction from the invasion and that Russia was responsible for the continued fighting, as Andrew Roth and Lauren Gambino report.
During the public part of the meeting, Trump and Vance took turns to berate Zelenskyy, with Vance accusing him of carrying out “publicity tours” and Trump telling him: “You’re not really in a good position right now.”
At one point Vance demanded: “Have you said thank you once?”
Trump later delivered Zelenskyy an ultimatum, telling him that Ukraine must either “make a deal or we are out” – suggesting the US could walk away from negotiations and cut off support to Kyiv.
At one point in the exchange, the Ukrainian ambassador to Washington appeared to be holding her head in her hands.
You can read the full report here:
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Opening summary
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine, hours after an unprecedented showdown between US president Donald Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House.
European leaders have voiced their solidarity with Ukraine in the wake of the disastrous summit, in which Trump said the Ukrainian leader was not “ready for peace” and accused him of “gambling with world war three”.
Washington’s military support for Kyiv now appears to hang in the balance and talks over a minerals deal have seemingly collapsed after the meeting between Zelenskyy, Trump and his vice-president, JD Vance, descended into acrimony on Friday. Trump berated Zelenskyy and then abruptly called off the minerals deal that Trump had said would be the first step towards a ceasefire with Russia.
The meeting had been due to continue behind closed doors but was cut short after the clash, with Zelenskyy leaving the White House early. A press conference to announce the minerals deal was cancelled.
If you are just getting up to speed with the latest developments, here is what you need to know.
European leaders have rallied behind Zelenskyy after the unprecedented exchange. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the European Council, Antonio Costa, were among the leaders who assured Zelenskyy of Europe’s support. “Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader,” said the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas. German chancellor Olaf Scholz said: “Ukraine can rely on Germany – and on Europe.” French president Emmanuel Macron said: “Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is the aggressed people.” A spokesperson for UK prime minister Keir Starmer said: “He retains his unwavering support for Ukraine.”
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán stood out in Europe for thanking Trump for having “stood bravely for peace”. Moscow, meanwhile, reacted with glee to the Trump-Zelenskyy clash, with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev – now deputy head of Russia’s security council – saying on Telegram: “A brutal dressing down in the Oval Office.”
In an interview with Fox news, Zelenskyy expressed regret that the Trump meeting became acrimonious but insisted their relationship could be salvaged. The Ukrainian leader defended himself, but also acknowledged the dispute was “not good for both sides”. Asked if he felt he owed the US president an apology, as many of Trump’s Republican allies have demanded, Zelenskyy did not directly answer, saying instead: “I think that we have to be very open and very honest. And I’m not sure that we did something bad.”
US secretary of state Marco Rubio called on Zelenskyy to apologise, while questioning whether the Ukrainian leader really wanted a peace deal. Zelenskyy should “apologise for turning this thing into the fiasco for him that it became”, Rubio told CNN. “There was no need for him to go in there and become antagonistic.”
The Trump administration is considering ending all ongoing shipments of military aid to Ukraine after the Oval Office meeting, according to a report. The decision, if taken, would apply to billions of dollars’ worth of radars, vehicles, ammunition and missiles awaiting shipment to Ukraine through the presidential drawdown authority, the Washington Post reports, citing a senior US official.
US Democratic lawmakers came to Zelenskyy’s defence, condemning Trump and Vance’s “shameful” and “disgraceful” treatment of the Ukrainian leader. But Trump’s Republican colleagues described the Oval Office exchange as evidence the president was “putting America first”. US senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina, who was once among the most outspoken advocates for supporting the Ukraine war effort, called on Zelenskyy to resign.
A Russian drone strike on a medical facility and other targets in Kharkiv late on Friday injured at least five people, according to local officials. Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said eight drones hit civilian areas in three central districts of Ukraine’s second largest city. More than 50 people were evacuated from the medical facility and emergency crews were bringing a fire triggered by the strike under control, he said. Dozens of buildings were damaged.
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