“He Will Destroy You”: Trump Urges Deal on Putin’s Terms

At an Oct. 17 White House meeting, Trump pressed Zelenskyy to accept Russian terms, warning of “destruction,” deepening rifts with Kyiv and alarming European allies.

WASHINGTON — A high-stakes White House meeting between U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday devolved into heated exchanges, as Trump urged Ukraine to accept Russian terms for ending the war and warned that Vladimir Putin would “destroy” the country if Kyiv refused, according to officials briefed on the encounter.

The meeting, described by multiple sources familiar with the discussion, reportedly descended several times into shouting, with Trump dismissing Ukrainian battlefield maps, demanding that Kyiv surrender the entire Donbas region, and repeatedly echoing arguments made by the Russian president during a call the day before¹.

Despite ultimately agreeing to a proposal to freeze the current front lines, the tone and substance of the exchange appeared to underscore the volatility of Trump’s position on the war and raised new concerns among European allies about Washington’s direction.

Neither the White House nor the Ukrainian president’s office has issued an official readout, and both declined immediate comment.