Zelenskyy leaves White House early after furious meeting where Trump claims he ‘disrespected US’ and is not ready for peace – live | Ukraine

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez has joined the list of European leaders offering their support and solidarity to Ukraine after the clash between Trump, Vance and Zelenskyy.

He has just posted a social media update saying:

Ucrania, España está contigo.
Ukraine, Spain stands with you.
Україно, Іспанія з тобою.

French president Emmanuel Macron highlighted that Russia is the aggressor, and Ukrainians are the aggressed people, when asked for his response to a clash between US president Donald Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“We must … respect those who have been fighting since the beginning,” he told reporters on the sidelines of his visit to Portugal, quoted by Reuters.

Not that we were in any doubt, but the White House has just confirmed that Trump and Zelenskyy did not sign a mineral deals during their talks today.

Trump has not ruled out an agreement, but not until Ukraine is ready to have a constructive conversation, a senior US official told Reuters.

Polish prime minister Donald Tusk responds to scenes in the Oval Office:

He says in a social media update:

Dear @ZelenskyyUa, dear Ukrainian friends, you are not alone.

Jakub Krupa

Zelenskyy was scheduled to speak at the Hudson Institute later today – let’s see if he keeps that appointment after his White House visit was cut short.

He is also expected in London for further talks with European leaders on Sunday, where he will give them a completely unfiltered report from talks with Trump.

We can only imagine what he is going to say.

• Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the White House has been cut short after he got into a heated exchange with US president Donald Trump and vice-president JD Vance, who accused him of “disrespectful” behaviour during their talks in the Oval Office.

• In a social media update, Trump said he has determined that Zelenskyy “is not ready for peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations”, and said the Ukrainian leader “disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office”. “He can come back when he is ready for peace,” he added.

• In their earlier talks, Trump repeatedly told Zelenskyy that he was “gambling with the lives of millions, with the third world war”, and told him to stop holding out for further security guarantees saying “you’re either going to make a deal or we are out”.

• Trump appeared to draw false equivalence between the two sides of the war and positioning himself “for both Ukraine and Russia” as he pursues a peace deal, in stark contrast to Zelenskyy’s comments about Putin as a “killer” and “terrorist” who invaded Ukraine, and with whom he was not ready to compromise on the Ukrainian territory.

• The pair repeatedly clashed over their view of Russia and the negotiations, as well as the extent of the European support for Ukraine.

• JD Vance also falsely accused Zelenskyy for not thanking the US for its support and “campaigning for the opposition in October,” instead of showing “words of appreciation for the US and the president who is trying to save your country.”

• Zelenskyy has left the White House moments ago, with the press conference between the two leaders, where they were expected to sign a deal on minerals, also cancelled.

He was not accompanied by US president Trump to the exit.

The joint press conference has been cancelled, the White House said.

A White House source confirmed to Reuters that the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is leaving the White House early.

This comes after the heated talks earlier, and an update from US president Donald Trump saying that Zelenskyy was “not ready for peace”.

Zelenskyy’s car is now waiting outside for his departure.

In a sign of how badly the talks went, US president Donald Trump has just posted a social media update saying that he has determined that Zelenskyy “is not ready for peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations”.

“I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE,” he says.

He then says Zelenskyy “disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office”.

“He can come back when he is ready for peace,” he ends.

Talking about the US involvement in Nato, Trump repeatedly praised Poland for “stepping up” and “doing a great job for Nato” by “paying more than they had to”.

They are one of the finest groups of people I’ve ever known. I’m very committed to Poland. Poland’s in a tough neighborhood.

Asked for further guarantees for the broader alliance, he goes on to say:

We’re committed. We’re going to be very committed, and we’re committed to Nato. But Nato has to step up, and the Europeans have to step up more than they have.

Zelenskyy repeatedly warned that any deal without security guarantees would not be enough.

When we speak about security guarantees, when the Europeans are ready for contingents, they need USA backstop. If there will not be United States [troops], we will not have any contingent.

He explained why:

Putin will never stop and will go further and further. He hates us.

You know, it’s not about me. He hates Ukrainians. He thinks that we are not a nation. He thinks and he shared this with, I think maybe with your team also, I don’t know, but with all the Europeans in media, officially and not, he always said that there is no such country, such nation, such language and such life like Ukrainian.

No, he really doesn’t respect all the Ukrainians, and he wants to destroy us.

In an bizarre follow-up, Trump later praises Zelenskyy’s clothes, saying they are “beautiful”.

Trump also got asked about security guarantees and said the focus was on the US having “workers there, digging, digging, digging, … taking the raw earth so that we can create a lot of great product in htis country.”

I don’t think you’re going to need much security. I think once this deal gets done, it’s over. Russia is not going to want to go back, and nobody’s going to want to go back.

But Zelenskyy wasn’t convinced, saying Putin broke ceasefires and agreements with other countries 25 times.

“That is why we will never accept just a ceasefire. It will not work without security guarantees … this document is not enough, strong army is enough, because his soldiers are afraid,” he said.