Donald Trump tossed aside maps of Ukraine during a row in which he urged Volodymyr Zelensky to accept Russia’s terms or Putin would destroy his country, according to a report. People familiar with the situation said the White House meeting between the leaders of the US and Ukraine descended into a “shouting match”.
Mr Trump was reportedly “shouting all the time” and threw aside maps of the frontline in Ukraine, demanding Mr Zelensky surrender the whole of the Donbas region to Russia. The US President was reported as repeating talking points he heard in a call with Putin a day before the White House showdown.
The US leader later supported freezing the current frontlines, according to the sources cited by the Financial Times. The official said that Mr Trump told Mr Zelensky he was losing the war and warned: “If [Putin] wants it, he will destroy you.”
The official familiar with the encounter told the publication that at one point in the meeting, the US president threw Ukraine’s maps of the battlefield to one side.
The same official is reported to have said Mr Trump fumed that he was “sick” of repeatedly seeing the map of the frontline in Ukraine.
The reportedly tense meeting recalls the verbal lashing Mr Zelensky received at the White House in February when Mr Trump and Vice President JD Vance criticised him for not expressing enough gratitude for US help.
After the lengthy meeting on Friday, Mr Trump publicly urged Kyiv and Moscow to “stop where they are” and end their brutal war.
Mr Trump said in a Truth Social post not long after hosting the Ukrainian president and his team: “Enough blood has been shed, with property lines being defined by War and Guts. They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide!”
He later urged both sides to “stop the war immediately” and implied Russia should keep the territory it has taken from Ukraine. Mr Trump told reporters: “You stop at the battle line and both sides should go home, go to their families, stop the killing, and that should be it.”
His comments amounted to another shift in position on the war. In recent weeks, he had shown growing impatience with Putin and expressed more willingness to help Ukraine win the war.
After Friday’s meeting, Mr Zelensky said it was time for a ceasefire and negotiations. He sidestepped answering a question about Mr Trump urging Ukraine to give up land. Mr Zelensky said: “The president is right we have to stop where we are, and then to speak.”
The US President had signalled to Mr Zelensky on Friday that he was leaning towards not selling him long-range Tomahawk missiles, weaponry which the Ukrainians believe could drag Putin to the negotiating table.
At the start of the White House talks, Mr Zelensky said he had a “proposition” in which Ukraine could provide the United States with advanced drones, while Washington would sell Kyiv Tomahawk cruise missiles.
But Mr Trump said he was hesitant to tap into the US supply, another shift in position after days of suggesting he was seriously considering sending the missiles to help Ukraine beat back Russia’s invasion.