Trump-Zelenskyy clash: Sky News correspondents’ views
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy have clashed in the White House, with the US president telling his Ukrainian counterpart: “You’re gambling with World War Three.”
Mr Trump also told Mr Zelenskyy “you either make a deal or we are out.”
“Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel,” he said. “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 that exactly. You’re in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel.”
Ukraine latest: Trump says Zelenskyy disrespected US and can come back when he’s ready for peace
Here is a look at what Sky News’ correspondents thought of the extraordinary exchange.
Dominic Waghorn, international affairs correspondent
European leaders will be looking at tonight’s spectacle in the White House in horror. Their approach has been to look on the bright side and hope wooing and flattering Donald Trump will bring him round on Ukraine.
Only those in the room will know for sure, but from where the rest of us were sitting, this looked very much like a deliberate ambush, led by the vice president JD Vance.
The Oval Office was reduced to a reality TV show. It seemed like the kind of orchestrated pile-on only Jerry Springer or Jeremy Kyle could be proud of.
If that is the conclusion of European allies, their choice is stark. Rise to the moment, accept America has become a rogue, unreliable ally under Mr Trump and do what they can to protect Ukraine, or watch themselves and Ukraine be picked apart by greater powers.
It is a moment of destiny for Europe that Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and others have been putting off arguably for too long, unwilling to accept their transatlantic partner cannot be trusted.
It must be repeated that neither Mr Trump nor Mr Vance have yet uttered a word of criticism for Vladimir Putin. They seem to like and respect him as do their cohorts on the far right of American politics.
If that is the case Ukraine now has only Europe to rely on. Is Europe up to the challenge?
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Mr Zelenskyy listens to Mr Trump. Pic: Reuters
Deborah Haynes, security and defence editor
The fiery and very public bust-up between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a disaster for Ukraine and its European allies and a triumph for Russia.
The spectacle of the US president berating his Ukrainian counterpart and telling him he is gambling with World War Three – played out on television in the Oval Office – was hard to witness.
Mr Zelenskyy – looking increasingly uncomfortable – decided to fight back. He likely felt he had little choice but to defend himself and his war-torn country.
But this act of defiance drew even more condemnation from Mr Trump as well as from JD Vance, who also started attacking the Ukrainian leader.
Mr Zelenskyy and Mr Trump in the Oval Office. Pic: AP
It is hard to imagine a greater contrast from the chummy scenes between Sir Keir Starmer and Mr Trump and the scolding language used by the American president against Mr Zelenskyy, at times addressing him as though he were a naughty school boy.
Ukraine’s president, his arms crossed, tried his best to speak up, but he was clearly fighting a losing battle. The extraordinary breakdown is far more serious than just a made-for-television drama.
American support for Ukraine is critical if Kyiv is to withstand Russia’s war. The UK, France and Ukraine’s other European allies have been working overtime to try to keep Mr Trump on their side.
The US president has vowed to end the war and has started talks with Vladimir Putin. The two presidents also plan to meet. That alone was hard for Ukraine to witness.
But the Ukrainian side has attempted to work with Washington rather than against it, including by being willing to part with profits from its minerals and other natural resources in return for locking Mr Trump into a long-term partnership with Ukraine.
That all looks to be shattered – or at best is in serious jeopardy.
If Mr Trump, in anger, withdraws all of his military support to Ukraine, Kyiv’s ability to withstand Russia’s military will be seriously diminished.
The Europeans lack the capability to fill the void. The only person who wins in this scenario is Mr Putin.
Mr Zelenskyy and Mr Trump speaking in the Oval Office. Pic: Reuters
David Blevins, Sky correspondent, in Washington
Donald Trump said it would make “great television”.
It certainly didn’t make for great diplomacy. Quite the opposite.
The gulf between the United States and Ukraine laid bare on camera around the globe.
The niceties in the Oval Office came to an abrupt end when Mr Trump said he wasn’t aligned with either Ukraine or Russia.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy questioned how diplomacy would work when Vladimir Putin “breaks ceasefires”.
Vice president JD Vance accused him of being “disrespectful” by trying “to litigate this in front of the American media”.
It went from bad to worse when Mr Zelenskyy replied: “You have a nice ocean and don’t feel now, but you will feel it in the future.”
Mr Trump retorted: “Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel… you’re in no position to dictate that.
“You don’t have the cards right now… you’re gambling with the lives of millions of people… you’re gambling with World War Three… and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to this country.”
Mr Zelenskyy, Mr Trump and vice president JD Vance. Pic: Reuters
You could have cut the atmosphere in the West Wing with a knife as the back-and-forth continued for several minutes.
It brings the flurry of diplomatic activity in Washington this week to a disastrous conclusion.
The French president had flattered Trump with words, the UK prime minister stepping up the charm offensive with a letter of invitation from the King.
But Mr Zelenskyy, who looked like a man with the world on his shoulders, had chosen not to ignore the elephant in the room.
Instead, he continued to demand security guarantees from the United States as part of any ceasefire.
The hostile words culminated in a moment unprecedented in living memory – the Ukrainian president leaving the White House and being told not to return until he’s ready to make peace.
Ivor Bennett, Moscow correspondent
Like everywhere else, Moscow will have watched this exchange open-mouthed – stunned by its implications. But while jaws will still be on the floor in Europe, here in Russia they’re already grinning from ear to ear, because it really couldn’t have gone any better for the Kremlin.
Not only was Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly humiliated by the leader of the nation on which Ukraine’s future depends, the attack read like a script written by Vladimir Putin.
The Ukrainian leader was accused of “forcing conscripts to the frontline”, of taking foreign leaders on a “propaganda tour” and even “gambling with World War Three”. They are phrases one hears on Russian state media on an almost daily basis.
Under the Biden administration, that kind of language was aimed at Mr Putin, but this was an illustration of how Mr Trump has turned everything on its head and Russia’s president is the beneficiary.
When it was Emmanuel Macron and Sir Keir Starmer in the White House earlier this week, there was a sense of anxiety coming from the Kremlin. On both occasions, Mr Putin felt the need to make public overtures towards Washington, as if to remind Donald Trump of what Russia has to offer, betraying a fear that he may be vulnerable to the other side of the argument.
Well there’s definitely no anxiety now – instead Moscow appears to be gloating.
“Historic,” was the one-word reaction from Kirill Dmitriev, the Harvard-educated head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, who was in Riyadh last week for the first meeting between Russian and US officials.
And the reaction from Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova hinted at how Russia might use this going forward.
“It’s a miracle of restraint how Trump and Vance restrained themselves and didn’t punch this scumbag,” she wrote on Telegram, full of flattery.
Expect Moscow to dial up the charm offensive, giving Mr Trump the “respect” he accused Mr Zelenskyy of lacking. The aim will be to make tonight’s spat a permanent separation.
Virginia Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew of sexual assault, has died aged 41.
In a statement to Sky’s US partner network NBC News on Friday, her family said she took her own life in the Perth suburb of Neergabby, Australia, where she had been living for several years.
“It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia,” her family said.
“She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.
“Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors.
“In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight.”
Pic: AP
Police said emergency services received reports of an unresponsive woman at a property in Neergabby on Friday night.
“Police and St John Western Australia attended and provided emergency first aid. Sadly, the 41-year-old woman was declared deceased at the scene,” a police spokeswoman said.
“The death is being investigated by Major Crime detectives; early indication is the death is not suspicious.”
Sexual assault claims
Prince Andrew has denied all claims of wrongdoing. File pic: Reuters
Ms Giuffre sued the Duke of York for sexual abuse in August 2021, saying Andrew had sex with her when she was 17 and had been trafficked by his friend, the billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The duke has repeatedly denied the claims, and he has not been charged with any criminal offences.
In March 2022, it was announced Ms Giuffre and Andrew had reached an out-of-court settlement – believed to include a “substantial donation to Ms Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights”.
‘An incredible champion’
Sigrid McCawley, Ms Giuffre’s attorney, said in a statement that she “was much more than a client to me; she was a dear friend and an incredible champion for other victims”.
“Her courage pushed me to fight harder, and her strength was awe-inspiring,” she said. “The world has lost an amazing human being today.”
“Rest in peace, my sweet angel,” she added.
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Dini von Mueffling, Ms Giuffre’s representative, also said that “Virginia was one of the most extraordinary human beings I have ever had the honour to know”.
“Deeply loving, wise, and funny, she was a beacon to other survivors and victims,” she added. “She adored her children and many animals.
“She was always more concerned with me than with herself. I will miss her beyond words.
“It was the privilege of a lifetime to represent her.”
Ms Giuffre said at the end of March she had four days to live after a car accident, posting on social media that “I’ve gone into kidney renal failure”. She was discharged from hospital eight days later.
Raised mainly in Florida, she said she was abused by a family friend early in life, which led to her living on the streets at times as a teenager.
She said that in 2000, she met Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite who was convicted in 2021 on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein. Pic: US Department of Justice
Ms Giuffre said Maxwell then introduced her to Epstein and hired her as his masseuse, and said she was sex trafficked and sexually abused by him and associates around the world.
‘A survivor’
After meeting her husband in 2002, while taking massage training in Thailand at what she said was Epstein’s behest, she moved to Australia and had a family.
She founded the sex trafficking victims’ advocacy charity SOAR in 2015, and is quoted on its website as saying: “I do this for victims everywhere.
“I am no longer the young and vulnerable girl who could be bullied. I am now a survivor, and nobody can ever take that away from me.”
:: Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
Donald Trump has met Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of the Pope’s funeral, Vatican sources have told Sky News.
The US and Ukrainian presidents had a “very productive discussion”, according to a White House Official, and have also agreed to hold further talks after the service.
They are among world leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron, who are attending the funeral of Pope Francis.
Follow live updates: Zelenskyy among world leaders joining thousands of mourners
There was applause from some of those gathered in St Peter’s Square when the Ukrainian leader walked out.
The former British ambassador to Russia Sir Tony Brenton said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy.
Trump and Zelenskyy meet for first time since Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters
He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine, and is their first face-to-face meeting after a very public row between the presidents at the White House in February.
The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.
They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks since the early weeks of the war, which began in February 2022.
Mr Trump has claimed a deal to end the war is “very close” and has urged Mr Zelenskyy to “get it done” in a post on his Truth Social platform.
He has previously warned both sides his administration would walk away from its efforts to achieve a peace if the two sides do not agree a deal soon.
Meanwhile, the Polish Armed Forces said a Russian military helicopter violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea on Friday evening, in a post on X.
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US
Donald Trump says Russia and Ukraine are ‘very close to a deal’ – and says ‘two sides should now meet’
Donald Trump has said Russia and Ukraine are “very close to a deal” with “most of the major points agreed” – as he called for the two sides to meet.
Shortly after arriving in Rome for Pope Francis’s funeral, the US president said high-level officials should now meet to “finish [the deal] off”.
“A good day in talks and meetings with Russia and Ukraine,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to ‘finish it off’.
“Most of the major points are agreed to. Stop the bloodshed, NOW. We will be wherever is necessary to help facilitate the END to this cruel and senseless war!”
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Ukraine-Russia peace talks explained
Throughout the week, the US president has criticised both Ukraine and Russia for failing to agree to a peace deal.
On Wednesday, he accused Mr Zelenskyy of harming talks on Truth Social, saying “the man with ‘no cards to play’ should now, finally, GET IT DONE”.
A day later, after nine people were killed in Kyiv after a Russian missile and drone strike, Mr Trump said: “Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!”
The president and other officials have also threatened to withdraw from negotiations if no progress is made toward a deal.
It comes after Mr Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss a US-brokered peace plan for Ukraine.
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Putin-Witkoff meeting
The talks allowed Russia and the United States to “further bring their positions closer together” on “a number of international issues”, a Kremlin aide said.
Speaking earlier on the flight to Italy, Mr Trump said he hadn’t been fully briefed on Mr Witkoff and Mr Putin’s meeting – but added it was a “pretty good meeting”.
Read more:
US and Russia talks moving in ‘right direction’, top diplomat says
A ‘barbaric’ 24 hours in a ‘horrendous’ war
Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks since the early weeks of the war, which began in February 2022.
Ukraine has repeatedly said it would not accept a deal conceding land or handing over sovereignty to Russia.
However, Mr Trump said in an interview with TIME magazine that “Crimea will stay with Russia,” describing the region as a place where Moscow has “had their submarines” and “the people speak largely Russian”.
“Zelenskyy understands that, and everybody understands that it’s been with them for a long time,” he added. “It’s been with them long before Trump came along.”
When asked on Friday about Mr Trump’s comments, Mr Zelenskyy did not want to comment but repeated that recognising occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian is a red line.
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