Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday thanked the United States for its support after leaving the White House following a heated exchange with US President Donald Trump.
In a message on social media, he expressed gratitude to President Trump, Congress, and the American people, saying that Ukraine was working towards a “just and lasting peace.”
“Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you @POTUS (President Donald J. Trump), Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
Zelenskyy’s meeting with Trump on Friday took a dramatic turn, as the two leaders clashed openly before the global media at the White House over the war with Russia.
Zelenskyy’s visit was intended to persuade the United States to maintain its support for Ukraine and not align with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched the invasion three years ago.
However, the Ukrainian leader found himself in a sharp disagreement with Trump and Vice President JD Vance over the conflict, highlighting how the shift in Washington’s leadership has complicated Kyiv’s efforts to secure continued Western backing for its war effort.
Vance emphasised the importance of diplomacy in resolving Europe’s biggest conflict since World War Two, while Zelenskyy argued that Putin could not be trusted in any negotiations.
Shortly after, Trump took to Truth Social to accuse Zelenskyy of disrespecting the United States.
"I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved," he wrote, using an alternative spelling of the leader's name. “He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
Zelenskyy left the White House earlier than planned following the confrontation, departing without signing a widely anticipated agreement between Ukraine and the United States on joint natural resource development.
{{/usCountry}}Zelenskyy left the White House earlier than planned following the confrontation, departing without signing a widely anticipated agreement between Ukraine and the United States on joint natural resource development.
{{/usCountry}}The clash also dealt a blow to recent efforts by European leaders to persuade Trump to offer security guarantees for Ukraine, even as he remains opposed to deploying U.S. troops on Ukrainian soil.
Such assurances are seen as critical in deterring future Russian aggression.
“People are dying, you're running low on soldiers,” Trump told Zelenskyy during an unusually blunt exchange in front of reporters in the Oval Office.
Trump also warned that US support for Ukraine could be at risk.
With Reuters inputs