Zelensky not ready for peace if US is involved, says Trump

United States President Donald Trump says his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, is not ready for peace.

Trump spoke in a social media post after a meeting between him and Zelensky ended in a shouting match on Friday.

The two leaders were discussing efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, but Trump said Zelensky disrespected the “United States of America in its Cherished Oval Office.”

“He can come back when he is ready for Peace,” the US president added.

During the Oval Office meeting, Trump warned Zelensky that Ukraine had to “make a deal with the US, or it would end its support”.

“Your people are very brave, but you’re either going to make a deal or we’re out, and if we’re out, you’ll fight it out,” he said.

“I don’t think it’s going to be pretty, but you’ll fight it out, but you don’t have the cards.”

The situation deteriorated during the meeting after the Ukrainian president pushed back against US Vice-President JD Vance’s comment that “the path to peace” is to engage in diplomacy with Russia.

“You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict,” Vance told the Ukrainian president.

He added that Ukraine faces serious problems in its war effort.

Zelensky responded by saying the US experiences its own problems and Trump jumped in saying “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III”.

“And what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country. Your country is in big trouble.”

When Zelensky tried to respond, Trump interjected, saying: “No, no. You’ve done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble. You’re not winning this. You have a damn good chance of coming out OK because of us.”

“We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today,” he added.

In his social media post after the meeting, Trump said much was learned that could never be understood without conversation under such fire and pressure.

“It’s amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for peace if America is involved because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations,” he wrote.

“I don’t want advantage, I want peace. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”

Ahead of the Friday meeting between the two leaders, Trump had labelled Zelensky a dictator with a shattered country.

The US president said the only thing Zelensky was good at was playing former President Joe Biden “like a fiddle”.

Trump resumed the criticism of his Ukrainian counterpart after Zelensky said the US president was “trapped” in a Russian “disinformation bubble”.

Zelensky was reacting to Trump’s allegations that Ukraine was to blame for Russia’s 2022 invasion.