‘Accept Putin’s Terms Or Russia Will Crush You’: Trump Warns Zelensky, Hurls Ukraine’s Map During Heated White House Meeting | World News

Washington: In a stormy meeting behind closed doors at the White House on Friday, US President Donald Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept Russia’s terms and end the war. He warned that if Ukraine refused, President Vladimir Putin would “destroy” the country. The Financial Times reported on Sunday’s explosive meeting, describing it as one of the most tense sessions between the two leaders since the start of the occupation.

According to the report, Trump called on Zelensky to hand over the entire eastern Donbas region to Moscow. The conversation became heated. The US president raised his voice, shouted profanities and at one point threw maps of Ukraine’s front lines on the table.

The clash occurred a day after Trump spoke on the phone with Putin, who wanted Ukraine to formally hand over Donbas. In return, Putin reportedly promised to return Kherson and part of Zaporizhia. The Russian leader had previously requested all of Donbas, Kherson and Zaporizhia in 2024.

Trump on the Russia-Ukraine war: “I say go home, stop fighting, stop killing people”

To read @MOMENT Story | https://t.co/V7ealIEi3G#Ukrainian #Russia #Embers pic.twitter.com/2tU0RhRmVY— ANI Digital (@ani_digital) October 20, 2025

#WRISTWATCH | When asked whether Ukraine could win the Russia-Ukraine war, US President Donald Trump says, “Yes, they can. They can still win. I don’t think they will win, but they can still win. I never said they would win. I said they could win. Anything can happen.” pic.twitter.com/PaopjDV4kQ— ANI (@ANI) October 20, 2025

Citing sources, the newspaper reported that Zelensky eventually persuaded Trump to support a ceasefire on existing battle lines.

The Ukrainian president was looking for weapons in Washington. He wanted the Tomahawk missiles to keep fighting. But Trump was focused on pushing for a peace deal. The President said he wanted a solution in which Ukraine would not need Tomahawks at all.

Zelensky tried to reach an agreement. It offered thousands of Ukrainian-made unmanned aerial vehicles in exchange for long-range missiles. Trump appeared open to the idea but warned that supplying such weapons to Kiev could further worsen tensions between Washington and Moscow.

President Trump clarified his stance on the ongoing conflict on Monday, stating that Ukraine “could still win” but adding skepticism to that possibility, emphasizing the unpredictable nature of the conflict.

“Yes, they could. They could still win. I don’t think they would, but they could still win,” Trump said in response to a question, referring to his previous statements at the United Nations in which he stated that Ukraine “could probably win the war.”

He had previously explained his statement at the United Nations as follows: “I never said they would win. I said they could win. Anything can happen. You know, war is a very strange thing.”

Trump’s remarks came during a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the Oval Office; where both leaders signed a multibillion-dollar agreement on critical minerals and defense cooperation.

#WRISTWATCH | When asked whether Ukraine could win the Russia-Ukraine war, US President Donald Trump says, “Yes, they can. They can still win. I don’t think they will win, but they can still win. I never said they would win. I said they could win. Anything can happen.” pic.twitter.com/PaopjDV4kQ— ANI (@ANI) October 20, 2025

At the pre-meeting press conference, Trump repeated his old claim that he could end the war alone. “I can make peace between Zelensky and Putin,” he said, implying that he would meet with both leaders separately at the summit to be held in Budapest in the coming weeks. “They don’t like each other at all. So I’m going to fix that,” he added.

Trump has described himself as a mediator. He said he would hold a “bilateral meeting” in Budapest, one with Putin and the other with Zelensky, but would not hold a joint session.

#WRISTWATCH | US President Donald Trump says: “…I’ve solved eight wars in eight months. Not bad. There’s another one to go. This is Russia v. Ukraine, and I think we’ll get there. But that turned out to be bad because you’ve got two leaders who really hate each other… We… pic.twitter.com/iyVf3mMeMX— ANI (@ANI) October 20, 2025

When asked about Tomahawk supply, he said, “We make our own weapons. We make our own unmanned aerial vehicles. But Ukraine also makes very good ones.”

He acknowledged that long-range weapons could escalate the conflict, but did not rule out future discussions.

Trump praised Zelensky’s resilience. “He’s been through a lot,” he said.

The US president dodged when asked whether Ukraine should give up land for peace. “War is complicated. You know everything and you still know nothing,” he said.

Trump’s stance on Ukraine has changed several times. Before meeting Putin in August, he said territorial exchange might be necessary for peace. A month later, he said, Ukraine could take back all Russian-held territory.

The fiery White House meeting revealed the divisions at the heart of Trump’s approach: a president pushing for a deal on Moscow’s terms and a war-weary ally still begging for the guns to return.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy called on Trump to take a tougher stance against Russian President Vladimir Putin and stated that he was ready to attend the summit to be held in Budapest, Hungary.

In an interview with NBC News, he said the US president should put more pressure on Putin than his recent success in achieving a ceasefire with Hamas. “Putin is similar to Hamas, but stronger than Hamas,” he said, adding, “that’s why more pressure is needed.”

He emphasized the larger scale of the war and Russia’s position as the world’s second largest army.

Zelenskyy hoped that this push would include the delivery of long-range US Tomahawk missiles that could strike deep into Russia.

Although Trump had raised the possibility of supplying a Tomahawk to Ukraine, he appeared to soften expectations after a meeting with Zelenskyy at the White House a day after his phone call with Putin.

“It was good that President Trump did not say ‘no’, but he did not say ‘yes’ for today,” Zelenskyy said.

Trump announced that he will meet Putin in Budapest for the second round of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy, who called Putin a “terrorist”, nevertheless reiterated his willingness for direct dialogue.

“If we truly want a just and lasting peace, we need both sides of this tragedy,” he said. “How can agreements be made about us without us?” Zelenskyy confirmed that Trump said “I’m ready” when asked about attending the Budapest summit.

However, according to Al Jazeera, an exact date has not been determined for the summit, which is expected to be held in the Hungarian capital in the coming weeks.

Trump continued to press for an end to the war that began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.