Breaking down the heated exchange between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump and Vice-President JD Vance at the White House.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump clashed in the Oval Office, disrupting diplomatic efforts.
The confrontation escalated when JD Vance criticised Ukraine, leading to a heated exchange.
Oksana Makarova, the Ukrainian ambassador to the US, reacts during the meeting.
It started well enough.
Zelenskyy, pale, perhaps worn out by the transatlantic flight, launched into what seemed to be a painstakingly rehearsed list of points that deliberately mirrored Trump’s speaking style.
“I think we have the best drone production in the world,” he said, trailing the prospect of Ukraine offering the US weapons as part of the thank you for support.
“Have the biggest gas storage in Europe. The biggest,” he added, raising the prospect of a market for American liquefied natural gas.
In a carefully prepared ambush, he handed Trump photographs of emaciated Ukrainian prisoners of war to demonstrate the thoroughgoing wickedness of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump had no choice but to nod and leaf through them.
It was on occasion awkward. At times Zelenskyy mirrored the same technique French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had used earlier in the week, gently pushing back on the most controversial of Trump’s assertions while mostly laughing along.
Things became heated after Vice-President JD Vance (right) joined the conversation. Photo / AFP
Nonetheless, when it came to the substance, things were pretty much going as well as Zelenskyy could have hoped.
“I think once we sign the agreement for 95% of it. It is not going back to fighting,” said Trump.
Asked if he would continue to supply Ukraine with weapons, Trump answered in the affirmative.
“We are going to have arms to Ukraine. Hopefully I won’t have to send that much because we’re looking forward to having this finished.”
On the question of security backstop, he hedged – as everyone expected him to. “We haven’t committed. We will have security in a different form. We haven’t determined that yet,” he said. Having Americans digging minerals out of the ground would provide a degree of protection itself, he suggested.
But he praised France and Britain for promising to put their own troops forward. Starmer and Macron’s preliminary visits had paid off.
Q: "Why don't you wear a suit?"
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy: "I will wear costume after this war will finish." pic.twitter.com/FzJqjIAQHa
Months – years – of careful diplomacy by Ukrainian, British, and French officials and diplomats were paying off.
Zelenskyy and his aides have long tried to cultivate Trump, reaching out in public and in private, before and after the campaign.
Macron and Starmer did the same this week, trying to pave the way for Zelenskyy’s visit with their own careful courtship of Trump.
Trump and Zelenskyy traded strong words, all in front of the media. Photo / Getty Images
It was all destroyed when US Vice-President JD Vance entered the conversation to declare: “The path to peace and the path to prosperity is maybe engaging in diplomacy.
“We tried the pathway of Joe Biden of thumping our chest and pretending the Potus’ words counted more than Potus’ actions,” he said.
To anyone who has spent time in or around the Ukraine war, such airy talk of “diplomacy” – as if it means anything without hard force to back it up – is exasperatingly naive.
Zelenskyy should probably have let it slide. But he was not taking it.
“Can I ask you?” he asked, leaning towards Vance.
“Sure,” replied Vance.
Zelenskyy then reminded the room of the history of the war. How it began with the Russian invasion of Crimea and Donbas in 2014; how no one stopped Putin then, or in the subsequent eight years; and how many times the Russian President had violated the ceasefire before the full-scale invasion.
“We signed with him – me, like a new president, in 2019, I signed with him a deal, with him, Macron and Merkel, a ceasefire. A ceasefire. All of them told me he would never go [against it]… but after that he broke the ceasefire, he killed our people, and he did not exchange prisoners,” he said.
“What kind of diplomacy, JD, are you speaking about? What do you mean?”
It was a mistake.
There followed a barrage of invective about Ukrainian ungratefulness – in front of the world’s media.
“The kind of diplomacy that will stop the destruction of your country,” snapped back Vance, raising his voice. “Mr President, with respect, I think it is disrespectful to come to the Oval Office and litigate this in front of the American media. With respect, offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America.”
Zelenskyy tried to argue back. “Have you been to Ukraine to see what problems we have?” And if America had to face a war, it too would feel the kind of pressure Ukraine feels, he reasoned.
Trump was in fight mode against Zelenskyy, accusing him of being ungrateful and showing disrespect. Photo / AFP
“You don’t know that. Don’t tell us what to feel! You are in no position to dictate what we feel,” said Trump. “We’re going to feel very good and very strong.”
“You’re gambling with World War Three and what you are doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country,” bellowed Trump.
There was no way to stop it. Trump and Vance were in fight mode, ladling out accusations of ungratefulness and past grudges at a frantic rate.
One thing war reporters are taught to recognise is when it is possible to reason with an angry gunman at a checkpoint, and when that man is not looking for answers to his questions, but a reason to simply rage.
Today it was the latter case.
For the next several minutes, Trump and Vance bellowed and ranted about the “Russia hoax”, about “ungratefulness”, about “disrespect”.
“I think it is good for the American people to see what is going on, that is why I kept it going so long,” said Trump, in possibly the most telling remark of the whole exchange.
And then it became clear. He and Vance had staged their own diplomatic ambush.
Trump is an excellent showman – it is difficult to believe he did not know where this was going.
It was devastatingly effective.
As the smoke from their proverbial gunfire cleared, Ukrainian-American relations were lying bloodied on the Oval Office’s yellow carpet.
