Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky broke his silence after his disastrous meeting with Donald Trump in Washington. Earlier this evening, the Ukrainian leader became embroiled in a fiery exchange with US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance in front of the world's media in the White House.
Following the meeting, a scheduled press conference that was set to follow the signing of an historic deal to provide US access to Ukrainian minerals was cancelled. Taking to X after he was seen leaving the White House, Mr Zelensky wrote: "Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that." The White House subsequently confirmed that the minerals deal, which Zelensky had travelled to Washington to conclude, was not signed by either party.
The historic meeting, which came on the back of weeks when both leaders exchanged scathing comments, has flipped the balance of the Ukraine war upside down.
Last week, the US President called Zelensky a “dictator” after elections in the country had to be postponed following the Russian invasion. Yesterday, when questioned about the comments as he met Keir Starmer, Trump appeared to row back, saying “Did I say that? I can’t believe I would say that”.
The Ukrainian leader had accused Trump of living “in a disinformation space” following the comments.
Fox News anchor Bert Baier has confirmed that his interview with Volodymyr Zelensky will still go ahead tonight despite the cancelled press conference.
It remains to be seen what impact the shocking exchange will have on funding for the Ukrainian war and on any future peace negotiations with Moscow.
On Sunday, the UK Prime Minister is set to hold a summit of more than a dozen leaders from Europe and the EU to "drive forward" action on Ukraine.
The summit will likely play an even more prominent role in holding together a shaky alliance of nations that has stood firm for three years.
This week, Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron had visited the White House in an attempt to obtain security guarantees ahead of any potential peace deal.
Despite being viewed widely as a success, the latest scenes in the Oval Office leave the future of the Ukraine war and the ability of the armed forces to continue to hold off Russian invaders in jeopardy.
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