Mortified Ukraine ambassador covers face as Trump and Zelensky get in huge fight
The Ukrainian Ambassador to the US was seen covering her face as Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky clashed in front of the world's media.
Oksana Markarova was pictured with her head in her hands as she sat in the Oval Office listening to the two leaders at a fractious and heated meeting.
Mr Zelensky was due to sign an economic agreement with Mr Trump but the visit was cut short after a shouting match in the West Wing of the White House.
Mr Trump shouted at Ukraine's leader during an extraordinary meeting, berating Mr Zelensky for "gambling with millions of lives" and suggesting his actions could trigger World War 3.
Within minutes of the meeting ending, Mr Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social in which he claimed Mr Zelensky was "not ready for peace".
Questions have since been raised as to whether the meeting was an ambush on Ukraine's leader or its descent into angry, public exchanges was unplanned.
A press conference planned to take place after the meeting was cancelled, with Mr Zelensky due to leave the White House at the time of writing.
Things started to spiral when Mr Trump said he was not aligned with Ukraine or Russia but with the United States and the "good of the world", upsetting Mr Zelensky, who has relied on support from the US and allies including the UK and EU.
The final 10 minutes of the almost 45-minute engagement descended into a tense back and forth between Mr Trump, US Vice President JD Vance and Mr Zelensky.
Ukraine's leader urged scepticism about Russia’s commitment to diplomacy, citing Moscow’s years of broken commitments on the global stage.
Mr Vance told Mr Zelensky: "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."
Mr Zelensky tried to object, prompting Mr Trump to raise his voice and say: "You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people.
"You’re gambling with World War 3, 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."
It was a shocking display of open antagonism inside the Oval Office, which is a setting better known for sombre diplomacy.
Mr Trump laid bare his efforts to coerce Mr Zelensky 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 US leader’s terms.
Mr Zelensky had been due to have lunch with Mr Trump and both leaders were going to sign a minerals deal during the joint news conference.
Instead, Mr Zelensky’s armoured SUV abruptly pulled up to the door of the West Wing moments after Mr Trump’s post on Truth Social.
At the end of the meeting, Mr Trump said: "This is going to be great television, I will say."
