LONDON/NEW YORK, March 1 -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has flown to London after his heated encounter with US President Donald Trump and Vice-President JD Vance in the Oval Office.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced thanks to the "American people" and leadership, and hope for "strong relations", less than a day after an astonishing Oval Office blowout with Trump that left many uncertain where the once staunch allies stood.

Ukraine had walked into the meeting prepared to sign a mineral deal with the US, hoping it would be a step toward a just ceasefire, but left empty handed.

In a series of posts on X on Saturday, Zelenskyy said Ukrainians are "very grateful to the United States for all the support," and specifically thanked Trump and Congress alongside the "American people." Our relationship with the American President is more than just two leaders: It's a historic and solid bond between our peoples. . American people helped save our people," he said. "We want only strong relations with America and I really hope we will have them," he added.

Zelenskyy arrived in the UK ahead of schedule to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. He is scheduled to taking part in a London summit of European leaders to discuss how to ensure a peaceful end to the war and provide security across the continent.

But the timetable for their bilateral meeting was apparently sped up in the aftermath of the Washington visit which saw an unseemly blow out where

Reacting to their spat, Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram on Friday that Zelenskyy's biggest lie of all his lies was his assertion in the White House that the Kyiv regime in 2022 was alone, without support.

"How Trump and (Vice President JD) Vance held back from hitting that scumbag is a miracle of restraint," she said.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev also reacted to the incident, calling Zelenskyy an "insolent pig" who had received "a proper slap down in the Oval Office."

"For the first time, Trump told the cocaine clown the truth to his face: the Kyiv regime is gambling with World War III...That's a good thing, but not enough - we must stop military aid to the Nazi machine," Medvedev, who is now deputy head of Russia's Security Council, said.

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Friday berated him over the war in Ukraine, accusing him of not showing gratitude after he challenged Vance on the question of diplomacy with Russia's Vladimir Putin.

Later, President Zelenskyy thanked US President Trump and the country for its support after departing the White House following an unprecedented showdown in the Oval Office with the American leader and Vice President J D Vance.

During an intense Oval Office meeting on Friday, Trump shouted at Zelenskyy, accusing him of "risking millions of lives" and warning that his actions might lead to World War III.

Trump and Vance also accused Zelenskyy of not being thankful for the support the US has provided over the years and said the Ukrainian leader was in a "bad position" at the negotiating table with Russia on a potential peace deal.

In response, Zelenskyy abruptly departed the White House without signing a crucial minerals agreement with the US, which Trump had insisted upon and implied was a prerequisite for continued support to Ukraine.

Minutes after his departure from the White House, the Ukrainian president in a post on X said, "Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that."

Following the unprecedented verbal clash in the Oval Office, a joint press conference scheduled between Trump and Zelenskyy in the East Room of the White House was also cancelled.

A White House spokesperson said a minerals agreement that was set to be signed between the US and Ukraine also did not go through.

A statement from the White House said Trump and Vance "will always stand up for the interests of the American people and those who respect the United States' position in the world - and will never allow the American people to be taken advantage of".

The statement cited Trump's exchange with Zelenskyy, in which the US leader asserted, "Let me tell you, you don't have the cards. With us, you have the cards - but without us, you don't have any cards."

It also referenced a November Gallup poll indicating that 52 per cent of Ukrainians favour a swift resolution to the war and believe the country should consider "ceding some territory in exchange for peace".

The statement highlighted Trump's remark that Zelenskyy was "gambling with World War III".

It noted that Zelenskyy himself acknowledged that the situation in Ukraine could lead to WW III and that without US aid, they would lose.

"A third world war could start in Ukraine, continue in Israel, and move on from there to Asia, and then explode somewhere else," the statement said.

The bilateral meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy unravelled in the Oval Office as Vance stepped in to make an intervention during a press interaction.

"We tried the pathway of Joe Biden, of thumping our chest and pretending that the President of the United States' words mattered more than the President of the United States' actions. What makes America a good country is America engaging in diplomacy. That's what President Trump's doing," Vance said. To this, Zelenskyy said if he could ask a question, and referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Crimea in 2014.

Vance hit back, saying, "I think it's disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media... you should be thanking the president for trying to bring you into this conference."

As the conversation grew heated, Trump said to Zelenskyy, "You're gambling with the lives of millions of people. You're gambling with World War Three. You're gambling with World War Three, 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." Vance asked Zelenskyy: "Have you ever said thank you once?" Zelenskyy answered that he had done so many times, to which Vance asked whether he had done so yet during their

meeting.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.