What's next after Trump-Zelenskyy blowup?

A shouting match that unfolded in the final minutes of a meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymur Zelenskyy has destroyed – at least for now – hopes that the U.S. will be a reliable partner in helping to end Russia’s three-year invasion. 

All it took was 90 seconds for weeks of tortured diplomacy to unwind in spectacular fashion.

It also stressed the profound ways Trump feels emboldened to redirect U.S. foreign policy priorities toward his "America First" agenda in ways that extend well beyond those of his tumultuous first term.

What happened at the meeting?

The backstory:

It started off cordially enough, as Trump and Zelenskyy spoke politely, even with admiration, of one another for the first half-hour of the meeting. Trump even suggested he would continue some military assistance to Ukraine until he could secure an enduring peace deal with Russia.

But when the Ukrainian leader raised alarm about trusting any promises from Russia’s Vladimir Putin to end the fighting, Vice President JD Vance rebuked him for airing disagreements with Trump in public. It instantly shifted the tenor of the conversation. Zelenskyy grew defensive, and Trump and his vice president blasted him as ungrateful and "disrespectful" and issued stark warnings about future American support.

RELATED: Zelenskyy on FOX: ‘Spat’ during Oval Office meeting ‘not good for both sides’

"What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about?" Zelenskyy said, listing Russia’s past violations of ceasefires. "What do you mean?"

"I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country," Vance responded before tearing into the Ukrainian leader. "Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media."

Trump then let loose, warning the Ukrainian leader, "You’re gambling with World War III, 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."

At another point, Trump declared himself "in the middle," seeming to formally break from years of American support for Ukraine. He went on to deride Zelenskyy’s "hatred" for Putin as a roadblock to peace.

"You see the hatred he’s got for Putin," Trump said. "That’s very tough for me to make a deal with that kind of hate."

"It’s going to be a very hard thing to do business like this," Trump said to Zelenskyy as the two leaders talked over each other.

RELATED: Trump-Zelenskyy meeting gets heated: 'Gambling with World War III'

Sources close to Zelenskyy told Fox News Digital that tempers had flared even before the event began. The Ukrainian president was apparently presented with a minerals for security agreement by the Trump administration prior to the press event, but the deal included no security guarantees to protect Ukraine from another Russian invasion. 

Zelenskyy had warned repeatedly ahead of his trip to Washington, D.C., that, in order to reach a mineral agreement, Kyiv needed these security assurances. Even so, he angered Trump and Vance by rejecting the deal, the source said. 

What’s next for Ukraine? 

Big picture view:

The encounter left the future of the U.S.-Ukraine relationship, and Kyiv’s ability to defend itself in the brutal conflict with Russia, in mortal jeopardy.

What's next:

Zelenskyy was in London Saturday to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer before a summit Sunday of European leaders.

RELATED: Ukraine's Zelenskyy says he'll step down in exchange for NATO membership

The summit on Sunday will also include leaders from France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Turkey, Finland, Sweden, Czechia and Romania, as well as the NATO secretary-general and the presidents of the European Commission and European Council.

What did Trump say after the meeting? 

What they're saying:

 "It didn’t work out exactly great, from his standpoint," Trump told reporters outside the White House. "I think he very much overplayed his hand. We’re looking for peace. We’re not looking for somebody that’s gonna sign up a strong power, and then not make peace because they feel emboldened, and that’s what I saw happening … We’re not looking to go into a 10-year war and play games. We want peace. It was just my impression … that he’s looking for something that I’m not looking for, he’s looking to go on and fight, fight, fight." 

What did Zelenskyy say after the meeting? 

What they're saying:

Zelenskyy used a series of posts on X to express his thanks to the American people, Trump and Congress for "all the support," which he said Ukrainians "have always appreciated," especially during the war.

"Our relationship with the American President is more than just two leaders; it’s a historic and solid bond between our peoples. That’s why I always begin with words of gratitude from our nation to the American nation," he added. Ukrainians "only strong relations with America, and I really hope we will have them," he said.

What did Congress say after the meeting? 

What they're saying:

Congressional Republicans were united in their praise of Trump following the meeting, while Democrats expressed horror at the unprecedented lack of diplomacy. 

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, called the meeting a "complete, utter disaster" and suggested U.S. support for Ukraine could end because of it. He also said Zelenskyy should consider resigning. 

"Somebody asked me, am I embarrassed about Trump. I have never been more proud of the president. I was very proud of JD Vance standing up for our country. We want to be helpful. What I saw in the Oval Office was disrespectful, and I don't know if we can ever do business with Zelenskyy again," Graham, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said. "The way he handled the meeting, the way he confronted the president, was just over the top."

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, posted on X that the "days of America being taken advantage of and disrespected are OVER."

"What we witnessed in the Oval Office today was an American President putting America first," he said. 

Democrats strongly criticized the exchange. 

"Trump and Vance are doing Putin's dirty work," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said. "Senate Democrats will never stop fighting for freedom and democracy."

"President Trump and his administration continue to embarrass America on the world stage," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said "Today’s White House meeting with the President of Ukraine was appalling and will only serve to further embolden Vladimir Putin, a brutal dictator."

What did other world leaders say after the meeting? 

What they're saying:

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier criticized Trump in unusually sharp terms for his behavior during the meeting with Zelenskyy at the Oval Office.

"Diplomacy fails when negotiating partners are humiliated in front of the whole world," Steinmeier told dpa, the German news agency, during a flight to Uruguay. "The scene in the White House yesterday took my breath away. I would never have believed that we would one day have to protect Ukraine from the USA."

French President Emmanuel Macron said if someone is gambling with World War III, it is not Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy but more likely his Russian counterpart.

Macron reacted to Friday’s heated exchange between U.S. President Donald Trump and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, during which Trump accused Zelenskyy of "gambling with World War III."

"If anyone is gambling with World War III, his name is Vladimir Putin," Macron said.

"My hope is that the United States of America will continue to stand by its history and its principles," he said. "Whenever we have had major conflicts, the United States of America has been on the right side of history and freedom."

Russia-UkrainePoliticsDonald J. Trump