Shouting, arguments and tossing of maps: What transpired during Trump-Zelenskyy meeting at White House

US President Donald Trump has told his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Vladimir Putin’s terms to end the war in Ukraine, saying the Russian leader will ‘destroy’ his country if he refuses his proposal. During the closed-door meeting with Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday, Trump also insisted that the Ukrainian leader surrenders the entire Donbas region to Russia.

According to a report by The Financial Times, this even led to an argument between the two leaders, with Trump even throwing the battlefield maps presented by Zelenskyy. The report claimed the meeting was like a “shouting match”, with Trump “cursing constantly”.

Quoting a European officials, The Financial Times report claimed that Trump told Zelenskyy that he was “sick” of seeing them. “If (Putin) wants it, he will destroy you,” the officials quoted Trump as saying.

Notably, Putin on several occasions has demanded that Ukraine must surrender the Donbas region to end the Ukraine war that broke out in February 2022. 

Trump’s bid to end Ukraine war

Since his return to the office, Trump has been trying to bring an end to the two-and-a-half-year war in Europe. In August, Trump had held a summit with Putin in Alaska, a meeting that the two leaders described was highly successful. The two would meet ain in Hungary in the coming few weeks.

Trump has also met Zelenskyy quite a few times, with their Friday’s meeting being the latest one. After his meeting, the 79-year-old called both Zelenskyy and Putin to end the Ukraine war, point that “enough blood” has been shed.

“You go by the battle line wherever it is — otherwise it is too complicated,” the Republican president told reporters after arriving in Florida on Friday. “You stop at the battle line and both sides should go home, go to their families, stop the killing, and that should be it.”