Updated 9.50pm with word-for-word highlights

US President Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky openly argued in the White House on Friday as they clashed on the need for compromising with what the Ukrainian president called Russia's "killer" leader.

Trump berated Zelensky as they sat in the Oval Office, telling him to be more "thankful" and saying, "You're in no position to dictate what we're going to feel."

And he told the Ukrainian president that he either "make a deal" with Russia "or we're out."

US Vice President JD Vance, sitting nearby, also attacked Zelensky, calling him "disrespectful."

Zelensky appeared to try to speak but was cut off.

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola was among the first to offer support to Zelensky following the outburst.

"Your dignity honours the bravery of the Ukrainian people. Be strong, be brave, be fearless. You are never alone, dear President Zelensky," she wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

"We will continue working with you for a just and lasting peace."

The extraordinary outburst came after Trump said Ukraine would have to make "compromises" in a truce with Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour three years ago.

"You can't do any deals without compromises. So certainly he's going to have to make some compromises, but hopefully they won't be as big as some people think," Trump said.

But showing Trump pictures of war atrocities and referring to President Vladimir Putin, Zelensky said there should be "no compromises with a killer on our territory."

"Crazy Russians," he said, deported Ukrainian children and committed war crimes during their three-year invasion of his country.

Trump lashed out at Zelensky, who he said was "not acting at all thankful" and not "nice."

"You're gambling with the lives of millions of people," Trump said. "You're gambling with World War Three, and what you're doing is very disrespectful to the country - this country."

The dramatic public breakdown in the long-tense relationship between Zelensky and Trump came after their meeting - in front of a large group of journalists - appeared to get off to a friendlier start.

Zelensky had said, "I think President Trump is on our side."

He said that he would be speaking to the US president about the "crucial" need for a so-called US security "backstop" to any European deployments of peacekeepers monitoring an eventual truce.

"This is crucial, this is what we want to speak about, this is very important," he said.

Trump has alarmed Kyiv and European allies with his abrupt U-turn in US policy, ending what had been full-throated support for Ukraine's attempt to defeat the Russian invasion and casting himself as a mediator between Putin and Zelensky.

Trump said in the Oval Office that he had "spoken on numerous occasions" to Putin - more than has been publicly reported beyond the lengthy call between the two leaders earlier this February.

Trump had told Zelensky that a truce was "fairly close."

He also said that a deal he was set to sign with Zelensky allowing US exploitation of Ukraine's natural resources would be "very fair."

The resources deal is intended to give the United States access to rare-earth and other critical minerals as part of an overall plan to help Ukraine recover after a truce.

Zelensky told Trump that he should visit his embattled nation. "You have to come and to look."

Word-for-word highlights

Here are the highlights, word-for-word, from when Zelensky and US Vice President JD Vance started verbal sparring in the Oval Office.

Zelensky: What kind of diplomacy, JD, are you are asking about? What do you mean?

Vance: I'm talking about the kind of diplomacy that's going to end the destruction of your country.

Zelensky: Yes, but if you...

Vance: Mr President, with respect, I think it's disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media. Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the frontlines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the president.

Zelensky: Have you ever been to Ukraine to see the problems we have?

Vance: I've actually watched and seen the stories, and I know what happens is you bring people on a propaganda tour, Mr. President.

Do you disagree that you've had problems with bringing people in your military, and do you think that it's respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?

Zelensky: First of all, during the war, everybody has problems, even you. You have nice solutions and don't feel (it) now, but you will feel it in the future.

Trump: You don't know that. 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.

Zelensky: I am not telling you, I am answering...

Vance: That's exactly what you're doing...

Trump, raising his voice: You're in no position to dictate what we're going to feel. We're going to feel very good and very strong.

Zelensky tries to interrupt.

Trump: You right now are not in a very good position. You've allowed yourself to be in a very bad position.

You don't have the cards right now. With us, you start having the cards.

You're gambling with lives of millions of people, you're gambling with World War III and what you're doing is very disrespectful to this country.

Vance: Have you said thank you once?

Zelensky: A lot of times.

Vance: No, in this meeting, this entire meeting? Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who's trying to save your country.

Zelensky: Yes, you think that if you will speak very loudly about the war...

Trump: He's not speaking loud. Your country is in big trouble. No, no, you've done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble.

Zelensky: I know, I know.

Trump: You're not winning this. You have a damn good chance of coming out OK, because of us.

Zelensky: We are staying strong from the very beginning of the war, we have been alone, and we are saying, I said, thanks.

Trump, speaking over Zelensky: You haven't been alone.... We gave you military equipment. Your men are brave, but they had our military. If you didn't have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks.

Zelensky: I heard it from Putin in three days.

Trump: It's going to be a very hard thing to do business like this.

Vance: Just say thank you.

Zelensky: I said it a lot of times.

Vance: Accept that there are disagreements and let's go litigate those disagreements rather than trying to fight it in the American media, when you're wrong. We know that you're wrong.

Trump: You're buried there. Your people are dying. You're running low on soldiers. No, listen... And then you tell us, 'I don't want a cease fire. I don't want a cease fire. I want to go and I want this.'

Trump: You're not acting at all thankful. And that's not a nice thing. I'll be honest, that's not a nice thing. All right, I think we've seen enough. What do you think? Great television. I will say that.