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President Zelensky and President Trump in the Oval Office (Image: Getty)
President Zelensky left the Oval Office under a cloud yesterday after a fractious meeting with and JD Vance, and has resisted calls to resign.
Republican politicians have been lining up to criticise the Ukrainian leader, with Senator Lindsey Graham calling on the war leader to leave office or “change”.
In an interview with Fox, Zelensky dismissed the veteran senator’s intervention. Asked whether he would leave office following the spat in the White House, Zelensky said: “No, this decision can only be done by the people of .”
US Secretary of State Macro Rubio said of Zelensky was also critical of the Ukrainian leader: “There was no need for him to go in there and become antagonistic.”
“When you start talking about that aggressively – and the president is a deal maker, he made deals his entire life – you’re not going to get people to the table,” he says.
Rubio then adds: “You start to perceive that maybe Zelensky doesn’t want a peace deal. He says he does, but maybe he doesn’t.”
After Mr Zelensky asked Vice-President Vance how he could engage in diplomatic efforts with Putin, given the Russian dictator has broken previous agreements since the 2014 incursion into eastern , Trump and his second-in-command took turns berating the Ukrainian leader.
The President accused Zelensky of “gambling with World War Three”, while Vance demanded that he thank America for its support.
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Donald Trump mocks ‘big shot’ Zelensky
After his spat with Zelensky in the White House, Trump mockingly addressed the clash while talking to reporters.
Trump said: ‘I want a ceasefire now. He said, ‘Oh, I don’t want a ceasefire.’
“Well, all of a sudden, he’s a big shot, because he has the US on his side. Either we’re going to end it or let him fight it out. And if he fights it out, it’s not going to be pretty, because without it, without us, he doesn’t win.”
Trump (Image: Getty)
Ukrainians rally around Zelensky after spat with Trump
Speaking to AP, Nataliia Serhiienko, 67, a retiree in , said Ukrainians approved of their president’s performance in Washington, “because Zelenskyy fought like a lion.”
“They had a heated meeting, a very heated conversation,” she said. But Zelensky “was defending ’s interests.”
Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv region, added: “Our leader, despite the pressure, stands firm in defending the interests of and Ukrainians. … We need only a just peace with security guarantees.”
Kyiv resident Artem Vasyliev, 37, said he had seen “complete disrespect” from the United States in the Oval Office exchange, despite the fact that “was the first country that stood up to .”
Zelensky (Image: Getty)
Welcome to our live coverage of the Ukraine War
Good morning from London.
Stay across this live blog for the latest from Kyiv, Washington, Moscow and other European capitals, as the fallout from Trump’s explosive meeting with Zelensky continues.