By Michael R. Gordon, Annie Linskey and Ian Lovett
President Trump, in a raised voice, told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “you’re gambling with World War III” during a contentious Oval Office meeting. Photo: jim lo scalzo/pool/Shutterstock
Tensions between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Trump burst into the open Friday in the Oval Office as the Ukrainian leader urged the U.S. not to trust Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump responded that Kyiv needed to accept that it had a weak negotiating hand.
Ukraine had sought the meeting to line up U.S. support against Russian aggression, which it hoped to solidify with the signing of a mineral-rights deal later in the day.
But after a half-hour of a generally polite discussion, the tone of the session became testy as disagreements that typically occur behind closed doors spilled out into the open.
Zelensky sought to explain to Vice President JD Vance that Ukraine had signed a number of agreements with Russia that Moscow had subsequently broken.
Vance, and later Trump, said Zelensky hasn’t been grateful enough for the assistance his military received from the U.S.
“If you didn’t have our military equipment,” Ukraine would have lost in the war in weeks, Trump said. He added: “You have to be thankful.” At one point, Trump told Zelensky he is “gambling with World War III.”
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