In an extraordinarily contentious meeting that was supposed to set the stage for peace talks and a multi-billion dollar rare earth metals deal, U.S. President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky exchanged tense and at times heated words in an Oval Office meeting on Friday afternoon that was cut short.

“You’re gambling with the the lives of millions of people … you’re gambling with World War Three, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country.” President Trump told President Zelensky.

The two argued in front of media and room filled with staff over the need for compromise to end the war. Trump told Zelensky: “You don’t have the cards. You’re buried there. Your people are dying. You’re running low on soldiers. Then you tell us, ‘I don’t want a cease fire. I don’t want to cease fire.’ ”

Zelensky had said that he would not compromise while Russian troops were in his country, which appears to have been the spark that lit Trump’s ire. Trump also expressed irritation that Zelensky had not been more thankful, prompting Vice-President J.D. Vance to interject and tell the Ukrainian president he hadn’t said thank you once, and it would be a good idea if he did.

Vice-President Vance went on to remind Zelensky how he had “campaigned for the opposition” last summer when he visited, referring to a trip Zelensky took then to Pennsylvania that was widely seen to be an endorsement of the Biden administration and of Trump’s 2024 rival, Kamala Harris.

Adding to the pile on, a reporter standing behind Vance criticized Zelensky for not wearing a suit, prompting the Ukrainian to retort that when he wins the war, he’ll come back wearing a “costume” (the Russian word for ‘suit.’)

“It’s amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations. I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace,” Trump posted on Truth Social after the encounter.

Following the meeting, Zelensky posted a short message on X thanking the United States, Congress, and Trump and stated “Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.”

After a jocular meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and tense though cordial one with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier in the week, the Zelensky visit to the Oval Office marks a stark departure from anything that has preceded it — possibly ever.

Ukrainian’s ambassador could be seen on the margins of the meeting with her head buried in her hands. CNN’s Dana Bash looked visibly stunned in reporting on the rarely confrontational encounter.

Immediate response of social media depends largely on who is posting: supporters of Trump appear to delight in the smack-down of the man who was central to the president’s 2019 impeachment while Democrats and main stream media are appalled.

Russian state media relished the moment:

“Zelensky rehashed his usual accusations against Russia,” an article on the TASS website said. “Asked if he believed in further support from the US, he tried to give Trump an opportunity to answer, which Trump ignored. Zelensky then began to say that the US is on the side of Ukraine, but Trump left that statement without comment.”