Zelenskyy says Trump support ‘crucial’ after bruising Oval Office clash

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in London on Saturday, continuing a diplomatic damage-control effort after his tense exchange with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Friday.

Zelenskyy landed in the U.K. ahead of an emergency summit with European leaders on Sunday, hoping to further shore up support on the continent after Trump and Vice President JD Vance humiliated him in the Oval Office in Friday's meeting, accusing him of ingratitude and scrapping a planned press conference as well as the signing of a critical minerals deal​.

In a lengthy social media thread on Saturday following the dismaying Washington meeting, Zelenskyy struck a conciliatory tone, expressing gratitude for American aid while emphasizing that Ukraine still needs “security guarantees” in order to achieve a “just and lasting peace.”

He stressed that a cease-fire alone would be insufficient, warning that Russian President Vladimir Putin has violated truce agreements "25 times" in the past decade​.

"It’s crucial for us to have President Trump’s support," the Ukrainian leader said. "He wants to end the war, but no one wants peace more than we do," he said.

"We are ready to sign the minerals agreement, and it will be the first step toward security guarantees," Zelenskyy wrote. "But it’s not enough, and we need more than just that," he said.

"A cease-fire without security guarantees is dangerous for Ukraine," Zelenskyy said. "We’ve been fighting for three years, and the Ukrainian people need to know that America is on our side."

Ukraine’s supporters reacted with consternation to the verbal attack on the Ukrainian leader, calling it a dismaying display of American bullying. Trump, a former star of reality TV show "The Apprentice," ended the meeting by saying: “All right, I think we’ve seen enough. ... This is going to be great television ― I will say that.”

European leaders rallied to defend Zelenskyy immediately after the tirade of abuse in the Oval Office, with France, Germany and Poland among others making prompt declarations of support amid European fears over Trump’s alignment with Putin.

NATO chief Mark Rutte told the BBC that Zelenskyy must "find a way" to restore his relationship with Trump. "We have to respect" what Trump has done for Ukraine so far, Rutte told the broadcaster.

"We have to move beyond what happened last night," Rutte said. "You have to find a way, dear Volodymyr, to restore you relationship with Donald Trump and the American administration. That is important going forward," he said.

Zelenskyy was meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Downing Street Saturday evening, ahead of Starmer hosting the Sunday summit with European leaders to discuss security assurances for Ukraine.

In meeting with Zelenskyy in Downing Street, Starmer reiterated the U.K.'s support for Ukraine, saying "we stand with Ukraine for as long as it may take," the BBC reported. “And as you heard from the cheers on the street outside, you have full backing across the United Kingdom," Starmer told the Ukrainian leader.

Zelenskyy thanked Starmer for his support, and thanked King Charles III for accepting a meeting with him on Sunday.

Ahead of that London meeting, right-wing Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called Friday's bust-up at the White House "regrettable" and said it "will make Putin feel like the winner," in a post on X.

"But this is not the end of the story, far from it. A peace deal is essential and Ukraine needs the right security guarantees," Farage said.

Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for Europe to show decisive leadership in the wake of the Oval Office clash between Trump and Zelenskyy. Baerbock on Saturday warned of a “new era of ruthlessness” following Trump’s public humiliation of the Ukrainian president and the U.S. administration’s shifting stance on Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

“A ruthless time has begun, in which we must defend the rules-based international order and the strength of law more than ever against the power of the strongest,” Baerbock said.