Oval Office clash: Trump-Zelenskyy feud fuels GOP rift, dims hopes for Ukraine aid

The highly publicised clash between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump resembled a dramatic spectacle more than a diplomatic meeting. It divided Trump’s fellow Republicans and casting doubt on Congress approving further aid for Ukraine in its war with Russia.

During Friday’s tense exchange, Trump and Vice President JD Vance publicly criticised Zelenskyy, accusing him of disrespect. The confrontation which unfolded before global media, prompted some Republicans who had previously supported Ukraine to turn against the Ukrainian leader.

Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally called for Zelenskyy to either change his approach or resign, just hours after attending a cordial meeting between Zelenskyy and a group of senators.

“What I saw in the Oval Office was disrespectful, and I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelenskyy again,” Graham told reporters as he left the White House. He added, “He either needs to resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change.”

Zelenskyy departed shortly after the confrontation, with Trump later posting on social media that the Ukrainian leader “can come back when he is ready for peace.” U.S. media reported that senior Trump officials had instructed Zelenskyy to leave.

The incident has driven US-Ukraine relations to a new low, jeopardising Kyiv’s critical wartime support from its most important ally.

Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, who was ambassador to Japan during Trump’s first term, posted on X: ”The United States of America will no longer be taken for granted.”

But even as most Republicans rallied behind Trump and Vance, some joined Democrats in defending Ukraine.

New York Representative Mike Lawler, in a post on X, called the Oval Office meeting ”a missed opportunity for both the United States and Ukraine — an agreement that would undoubtedly result in stronger economic and security cooperation.”

Representative Don Bacon, a moderate Republican from Nebraska, threw his support behind Kyiv.

”A bad day for America’s foreign policy. Ukraine wants independence, free markets and rule of law. It wants to be part of the West. Russia hates us and our Western values. We should be clear that we stand for freedom,” he said in a statement.

Neither of the Republican lawmakers criticised Trump or Vance.

‘Ukraine must not be forgotten’

President Zelenskyy said on Saturday it was “very important” that Ukraine’s plight was heard and not forgotten, a day after a heated White House meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

“It is very important for us that Ukraine is heard and that no one forgets about it, neither during the war nor after,” he said in a social media post alongside footage of a meeting with the Ukrainian community in Washington.

“It is important for people in Ukraine to know that they are not alone, that their interests are represented in every country, in every corner of the world.”

Zelenskiy had seen the Oval Office meeting on Friday with Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance as a chance to win more support for Kyiv’s war effort against Russia.

But the meeting descended into acrimony and drove relations with Kyiv’s most important wartime ally to a new low.

With inputs from agencies