The first meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House turned into a heated debate that surprised international public opinion.

Tensions were already building before the meeting began, according to people familiar with the matter. The Trump administration sent Ukraine a proposal for cooperation in mineral development, but it did not include a commitment to Kiev’s security.

However, before his trip to Washington, Mr. Zelensky repeatedly stated that to reach a mineral agreement, Kiev needed security guarantees from Washington, which made Mr. Trump and Vice President JD Vance very angry.

Just minutes after reporters asked their first questions, a heated argument broke out between the two heads of state, leaving officials behind the scenes scrambling to figure out why things had fallen apart so quickly.

Mr Trump said Russia attacked Ukraine in 2014 and continued in 2022 when he was not in office, and blamed the administration of former President Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

Mr. Zelensky immediately denied it. He said that during the period from 2014 to 2022, that is, during Mr. Trump's first term in office,

"Nobody can stop it. What kind of diplomacy are you talking about? What do you mean?" Mr. Zelensky said.

This prompted Mr. Vance to angrily reply: "Do you think it is respectful of the alliance to go to the Oval Office of the United States and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?"

President Trump also fumed: "Don't tell us what we're going to feel. We're trying to solve a problem. Don't tell us what we're going to feel.... You're not in a position to decide what we're going to feel. You don't have any cards right now. With us, you're starting to have cards."

The White House owner criticized the Ukrainian leader for "gambling with the lives of millions of people, gambling with World War III" and disrespecting US support.

The relationship between the two leaders of the US and Ukraine continues to be tested as Mr. Trump wants to quickly end the Russia-Ukraine conflict and reach a mineral agreement to help Washington recover some of the aid money.

Last week, Mr Trump called Mr Zelensky an “unelected dictator” after the Ukrainian leader suggested the US president was living in a “Russian-created disinformation space”.