The Ukrainian leader’s approval rating is rising, and critics have backed off after he was humiliated and criticized by President Trump, who has also demanded new elections in Ukraine.

President Donald Trump said Volodymyr Zelenskiy will eventually make a natural-resources deal with the US, while accusing the Ukrainian president of “taking candy from a baby” in maximizing US military aid during the Biden years.

NBC News Senior National Security Correspondent Courtney Kube reports that President Trump wants to see more than a rare earth minerals deal to resume military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine,

President Trump and Vice President JD Vance castigated President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine for not being grateful enough for U.S. aid. “You’re gambling with World War III,” Trump told Zelensky.

The vice president has balanced his love for public-facing mudslinging with a quieter portfolio as conciliator and backroom dealmaker.

The argument on Friday between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky was closely monitored in Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that someone should "force" the President of Ukraine to make peace.