Featured Image Credit: Aaron Schwartz/Sipa/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, Russia, Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Gerrard Kaonga
Topics: Donald Trump, Russia, Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly engaged in a shouting match as they had an explosive meeting on ending the war in Ukraine.
US president Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a hostile White House meeting on Friday (17 October) as the pair tried to come to a resolution on the war with Russia.
The two leaders have repeatedly said they would continue to have a dialogue on how a peaceful resolution would end the war, which began in 2022 when Russia launched its 'military operation'.
However, things reportedly got intense between the two when they met in the White House on Friday.
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According to a report by the Financial Times, things turned sour between the two when Trump and Zelenskyy got into a shouting match.
Trump reportedly called on Ukraine to accept Putin’s ‘maximalist’ peace demands, which included Vladimir Putin’s demand that Zelenskyy surrender the entire Donbas region.
This is something Zelenskyy has rejected, and according to the report, Trump tossed maps aside and the pair shouted expletives in their heated moments.
Trump also said he was 'sick' of seeing the front line over and over again, according to an official familiar with the details of the meeting.
The president allegedly said: "This red line, I don’t even know where this is. I’ve never been there."
Trump also insisted that 'Putin will destroy you' if he doesn’t concede to these terms.
Zelenskyy argued back that 'Putin doesn’t want peace, that’s why we need pressure on him'.
This seemingly unsuccessful meeting comes after Zelenskyy spoke to the media about his hopes that Trump would agree to supply Ukraine with more weapons in their fight against Russia.
He was hoping to have Trump confirm that the US would supply Tomahawk cruise missiles, weapons that possess a significantly longer range than any other missiles in Ukraine’s arsenal.
Ahead of the meeting, Trump side stepped whether the US would be supplying these weapons, stating that they would be talking about it, but admitted that he hoped that it wouldn’t come to that.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said: "Tomahawks are a big deal. But one thing I have to say, we want Tomahawks, also. We don’t want to be giving away things that we need to protect our country.
"Hopefully, we’ll be able to get the war over without thinking about Tomahawks. I think we’re fairly close to that."
Trump reportedly confirmed in the meeting on Friday that the US would not be supplying these weapons, however.
After he met with Zelensky, Trump called on both nations to ‘stop where they are’ and agree to end the brutal war.
In a Truth Social post, he wrote: "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!"