Khaberni - The meeting that brought together US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky last Friday at the White House was not marked by calmness; instead, it was dominated by an atmosphere of tension and screaming, even escalating to the exchange of insults.
This was stated by officials familiar with the meeting to the British "Financial Times," noting that amid screaming and insults, Trump tossed aside maps of Ukraine's battlefield and pressed Zelensky to hand over the Donetsk region to Russia.
The US President, who spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin shortly before hosting Zelensky, warned that Putin would "destroy" Ukraine unless a peace deal was reached.
The Russian president demands a withdrawal of the Ukrainian military from the vital eastern region as a prerequisite for achieving peace, while Kyiv considers the surrender of Donetsk a red line that cannot be crossed. Kyiv has long refused to give up these lands, which Moscow has failed to control despite ongoing fighting for more than 3 years.
Kyiv still controls about a quarter of Donetsk province, which forms part of what is called the "fortified belt," a series of heavily fortified towns that prevent Russia from advancing quickly westwards towards the Ukrainian capital, according to the British newspaper "The Telegraph."
This demand was supported by the US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who was among those who strongly urged Ukraine to give up Donetsk, claiming that the region, as well as Luhansk, had a large population of Russian speakers, according to the same newspaper.
A source told "Reuters" that Trump made this suggestion after Zelensky stated during the meeting that he would not voluntarily concede any lands to Moscow. The US president is striving hard to secure another peace agreement following his successful intervention in the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas.
However, the US president denied that the meeting with the Ukrainian counterpart had turned into screaming, and described it as "friendly". Returning to Washington on Sunday, Trump told reporters aboard the presidential aircraft that both sides "should stop at the lines they are on, the fighting lines," and called for a ceasefire along the current frontline.
When asked whether he had informed the Ukrainian president about the need to give up the entire Donbas region, Trump denied it, saying, "Let it be cut as it is. It's been cut now. I think Russia has already taken over 78% of the lands."
The Ukrainian president left the White House "bitter," according to "The Telegraph," disappointed that Trump did not agree to provide long-range Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv.
Zelensky told "NBC News" on Sunday: "I don't know the dialogue between Trump and Putin," adding that he believes Tomahawk missiles could pressure Moscow to enter into serious peace negotiations.
Nevertheless, US Vice President JD Vance said that Trump had not yet made a decision regarding the provision of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, adding: "The president is certainly now listening to this request from the Ukrainians."
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz commented on the visit on Saturday, saying it "did not go as Zelensky had hoped."
In recent months, Trump has fluctuated between Russian and Ukrainian positions, often expressing optimism about imposing sanctions or exerting more military pressure on Moscow after phone calls with the Russian president.
Trump told Zelensky at the United Nations last month that Ukraine is in a position to win the war, dismissing Moscow as a "paper tiger" before his phone call with Putin on October 16.
US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the Hungarian capital Budapest in the coming two weeks in an attempt to make progress in reaching a peace agreement. The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he is ready to join the meeting if invited.
