US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance used a White House visit by Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday to berate the Ukrainian leader and accuse him of being “disrespectful”.
Here are the key moments from the heated three-way exchange in the Oval Office:
Mr Trump: (After being asked if he had a message for the people of Poland concerned over the future of the conflict)
Well, if I didn't align myself with both of them, you'd never have a deal. You want me to say really terrible things about [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and then say, hi, Vladimir. How are we doing on the deal? It doesn't work that way. I'm not aligned with anybody. I'm aligned with the United States of America, and for the good of the world, I'm aligned with the world, and I want to get this thing over with. You see, the hatred he's [Mr Zelenskyy] got for Putin, that's very tough for me to make a deal with that kind of hate. He's got tremendous hatred, and I understand that, but I can tell you the other side isn't exactly in love with you know him, either. So it's not a question of alignment. I have to – I'm in line with the world. I want to get the thing said. I'm aligned with Europe. I want to see if we can get this thing done. You want me to be tough? I could be tougher than any human being you've ever seen. I'd be so tough, but you're never going to get it done that way.
Mr Vance: (responding to same question)
So look, for four years the United States of America, we had a president who stood up at the press conferences and talked tough about Vladimir Putin, and then Putin invaded Ukraine and destroyed a significant chunk of the country. The path to peace and the path to prosperity is maybe engaging in diplomacy. We tried the pathway of Joe Biden of thumping our chest and pretending that the president of the United States' words mattered more than the president of the United States' actions. What makes America a good country is America engaging in diplomacy? That's what President Trump's doing.
Mr Zelenskyy: He divided our parts of Ukraine, part of the east and Crimea (in 2014). … But during 2015 nobody stopped him. He just occupied them too. He killed people. He killed our people and he didn't exchange prisoners. We signed the exchange, but he didn't do it. What kind of diplomacy, JD, are you speaking about, what are we doing here?
Mr Vance: I'm talking about the kind of diplomacy that's going to end the destruction of your country, Mr President. 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. Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems, you should be thanking the president for trying to …
Mr Zelenskyy: Have you ever been to Ukraine? Have you seen the problems we have?
Mr Vance: I have been to … I've actually watched and seen the stories, and I know what happens is you bring people on a propaganda tour, Mr President. Do you disagree that you've had problems bringing people in your military, and do you think that it's respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?
Mr Zelenskyy: Everybody has problems, even you, but you have a nice ocean and you don't feel [the war] now, but you will feel it in the future.
Mr Trump: Don't tell us what we're going to feel. We're trying to solve a problem. Don't tell us what we're going to feel, because you're in no position to dictate what we're going to feel. We're going to feel very good. We're going to feel very good and very strong. You're right now not in a very good position. You've allowed yourself to be in a very bad position, and it happens to be right at the beginning of the war, not in a good position. You don't have the cards right now with us.
Mr Zelenskyy: We're not playing cards.
Mr Trump: You're gambling with the lives of millions of people. You're gambling with World War Three. You're gambling with World War Three, and what you're doing is very disrespectful to the country –
Mr Zelenskyy: I really respect your country.
Mr Trump: This country that's backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have.
Mr Vance: Have you said thank you once?
Mr Zelenskyy: A lot of times.
Mr Vance: No, in this entire meeting? You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October. Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who's trying to save your country.
Mr Zelenskyy: Please, you think that, if you speak very loudly about the war –
Mr Trump: He's not speaking loudly, your country is in big trouble.
Mr Zelenskyy: Can I answer?
Mr Trump: No, no, you've done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble. You're not winning. You're not winning this. You have a damn good chance of coming out OK because of us.
Mr Zelenskyy: Mr President, we are staying in our country, staying strong. From the very beginning of the war, we've been alone, and we are thankful. I said, thanks.
Mr Trump: You haven't been alone. We gave you, through this stupid president (Mr Biden), $350 billion, we gave you military equipment. You and you met a brave but they had to use our military if you didn't have our military equipment, if you didn't have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks.
Mr Zelenskyy: In three days. I heard it from Putin, in three days.
Mr Trump: It's going to be a very hard thing to do business like this.
Mr Vance: Just say thank you.
Mr Zelenskyy: I said it a lot of times, thank you.
Mr Vance: Accept that there are disagreements, and let's go litigate those disagreements, rather than trying to fight it out in front of the American media when you're wrong, we know that you're wrong.
Mr Trump: You see, I think it's good for the American people to see what's going on. I think it's very important. That's why I kept this going so long. You have to be thankful. You don't have the cards. You're buried there. Your people are dying. You're running low on soldiers. … Then you tell us, I don't want a ceasefire. … look, you could get a ceasefire right now, I tell you, you take it so the bullets stop flying …
Mr Zelenskyy: Of course I want to stop the war, but what I said to you, with guarantees. Ask our people about a ceasefire, what do they think?
Mr Trump: That wasn't with me, that was with a guy named Biden who was not a smart person. That was your that was with [Barack] Obama. Excuse me, that was with Obama who gave you sheets and I gave you Javelins. … You got to be more thankful, because, let me tell you, you don't have the cards. With us, you have the cards, but without us, you don't have any cards. It'll be a tough deal to make, because the attitudes have to change.
Mr Trump (asked what would happen if Russia breaks the ceasefire): What if anything? What if a bomb drops on your head right now? … They broke it with Biden, because Biden, they didn't respect him. They didn't respect Obama. They respect me. Let me tell you, Putin went through a hell of a lot with me. He went through a phoney witch hunt where they used him and Russia, Russia, Russia. … We didn't end up in a war. … All I can say is this: he might have broken deals with Obama and Bush, and he might have broken him with Biden. He did. Maybe, maybe he did. I don't know what happened, but he didn't break it with me. He wants to make a deal. I don't know if you can make a deal. The problem is, I've empowered you to be a tough guy, and I don't think he'd be a tough guy without the United States and 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. … But once we sign that deal, you're in a much better position, but you're not acting at all thankful. And that's not a nice thing. I'll be honest. That's not a nice thing.