In a scene as innocuous as it was spectacular, US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky had an extremely tense exchange of remarks at the White House.

Trump warned Zelensky that Ukraine must strike a deal with the US - or Washington will end its support for Kiev.

"Your people are very brave, but either you make a deal or we get out, and if we get out, you will fight to the end," Trump said at the White House in a dramatic verbal clash. Vice President J.D. Vance, who was present in the Oval Office, also accused Volodymyr Zelensky of "disrespecting" Americans.

The press conference of the two took a subtle turn. At one point, the US president told Zelensky he should "be grateful" and accused him of "risking a third world war": "You are playing with the lives of millions of people. You're playing with World War III (...) and what you're doing is very disrespectful to the country, to this country," an angry Trump snapped, estimating that it would be "very difficult" to negotiate with his Ukrainian counterpart, and urging him to be "grateful" to the United States.

"I don't think it's going to be pretty, you're going to fight, but you don't hold the cards. You are not behaving gratefully at all. That's not nice. It's going to be very difficult to do business that way," Trump said.

The Republican was asked what his message was to NATO allies in central and eastern Europe who are worried about Putin's expansionist policies, responding that he was in solidarity with both Putin and Ukraine because otherwise he would never reach an agreement, and refused to "say terrible things about Putin" that would make negotiations more difficult.

"I am not allied with anyone. I'm allied with the United States of America and the good of the world," Trump stressed. | BGNES