Trump-Zelenskyy showdown: What happened in that explosive 10 minutes

Expect drama when Trump is there, but even then, something like this was unprecedented on the global stage.

Untouched salad plates and other lunch items were being packed up outside the Cabinet room where the lunch between US President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and their delegations were supposed to have taken place.

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Trump shouted at Ukraine's leader on Friday during an extraordinary meeting in the Oval Office, berating Zelenskyy for “gambling with millions of lives” and suggesting his actions could trigger World War III.

Zelenskyy then abruptly left the White House without signing a critical minerals deal with the US that Trump had demanded and suggested was a condition for future support for Ukraine. A BBC report said Zelensky was eventually asked to leave the White House early before he and Trump could even take the stage for a scheduled news conference.

And the minerals deal, which had been trailed and praised by both sides this week, was left unsigned. "Come back when you're ready for peace," Trump wrote on social media shortly before Zelensky's car pulled away.

Volatile 10 minutes

The last 10 minutes of the nearly 45-minute engagement devolved into a tense back and forth between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Zelenskyy — who had urged skepticism about Russia's commitment to diplomacy, citing Moscow's years of broken commitments on the global stage.

It began with Vance telling Zelenskyy, “Mr. President, with respect. I think it's disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.”

Zelenskyy tried to object, prompting Trump to raise his voice and say, “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 that's backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have,” Trump said.

President Trump, speaking in a loud tone, warned Zelenskyy, "Either make a deal, or we are out." He went on to assert, "You are in big trouble... you are not winning this," underscoring his frustration with the ongoing situation in Ukraine.

It was an astonishing display of open antagonism in the Oval Office, a setting better known for sombre diplomacy. Trump laid bare his efforts to coerce Zelenskyy to agree to giving the US an interest in his country's valuable minerals and to push him toward a diplomatic resolution to the war on the American leader's terms.

'Zelenskyy no position to demand'

Earlier in the meeting Trump said the US would continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine, but said he hoped that not too much aid would be forthcoming. “We're not looking forward to sending a lot of arms,” Trump said. “We're looking forward to getting the war finished so we can do other things.” Trump suggested that Zelenskyy wasn't in a position to be demanding concessions.

"You're not in a good position. You don't have the cards right now,” Trump said pointing his finger toward Zelenskyy. “With us you start having cards.” He also accused Zelenskyy of being “disrespectful” to the US.

“It's going to be a very hard thing to do business like this,” Trump told Zelenskyy at one point, as the two leaders talked over each other about past international support for Ukraine.

Vance fires shots

“Again, just say thank you,” Vance interjected to Zelenskyy, blasting him for litigating “disagreements” in front of the press. Trump, though, suggested he was fine with the drama. “I think it's good for the American people to see what's going on,” he added.

“You're not acting at all thankful,” Trump said, before adding, “This is going to be great television.” The harsh words came at a pivotal and precarious moment for Ukraine. Zelenskyy had planned to try to convince the White House to provide some form of US backing for Ukraine's security against any future Russian aggression.

Zelenskyy had been expected to sign a landmark economic agreement with the US aimed at financing the reconstruction of war-damaged Ukraine, a deal that would closely tie the two countries together for years to come.

The deal, which is seen as a step toward ending the three-year war, referenced the importance of Ukraine's security. Earlier in the meeting, before tempers flared, Trump said the agreement would be signed soon in the East Room of the White House.

Fair deal, says Trump

“We have something that is a very fair deal,” Trump said, adding, “It is a big commitment from the United States.” He said the US wants to see the killing in the war stopped, adding that US money for Ukraine should be "put to different kinds of use like rebuilding.” Earlier, Zelenskyy called Russian President Vladimir Putin a terrorist and told Trump that Ukraine and the world need “no compromises with a killer.” “Even during the war there are rules,” he said.

According to the preliminary economic agreement, seen by The Associated Press, the US and Ukraine will establish a co-owned, jointly managed investment fund to which Ukraine will contribute 50 per cent of future revenues from natural resources, including minerals, hydrocarbons and other extractable materials.

Speaking about the rare earths agreement, Trump said the US is lacking in many such minerals while Ukraine has among the best on the planet. He said US interests plan to take those reserves and use them on everything from artificial intelligence operations to military weapons.

Asked about long-term security guarantee to guard against future Russian aggression, Trump says once the agreement is signed that a return to fighting was unlikely.

Trump, a Republican, has framed the emerging agreement as a chance for Kyiv to compensate the US for wartime aid sent under his predecessor, Democratic President Joe Biden.

But Zelenskyy has remained firm that specific assurances for Ukraine's security must accompany any agreement giving US access to Ukraine's resources.

This was Zelenskyy's fifth White House visit, but his previous four came during the Biden administration. The Ukrainian president also was meeting with US senators during his time in Washington.

(With Agency inputs)