In Ukraine, a mix of anger and pride as Zelenskyy called disrespectful and ordered out of White House

As Ukrainian troops try to stave off Russia's military from advancing through the eastern part of the country, they face tens of thousands of enemy soldiers.

But when Ukraine's president sat in the Oval Office on Friday afternoon, he faced a different kind of battle — the blunt testiness of the U.S. Trump administration. The combative exchange left Ukraine's allies and many of its citizens in shock and dismay. Yet for others, there was pride in how Volodymyr Zelenskyy stood his ground.

"I was angry, obviously," said Andriy Tkachuk, a Ukrainian soldier serving in the country's north who spoke to CBC News by Zoom. 

"We understand Trump and his administration have a political strategy, but when we speak about money, we forget about people."

Trump accused Volodymyr Zelenskyy of being disrespectful, ungrateful and an agitator "gambling with World War Three," and he was told to leave the White House. 

Zelenskyy's visit was expected to culminate in the signing of a much-vaunted business deal that would see Ukraine give the U.S. partial access to its minerals, as payback for the tens of billions of dollars in aid and weaponry given to Ukraine. 

U.S. officials were convinced Zelenskyy would sign the deal, but during the meeting in the Oval Office, he continued to press for the security guarantees that he said Ukraine needed in order for there to be a lasting peace. 

Many Ukrainians saw it as a bold move and applauded Zelenskyy for sticking up for the country while sitting next to Trump, who has expressed a desire to negotiate with Russia's President Vladimir Putin without Kyiv. 

Zelenskyy's critics, though, saw it as an unfortunate miscalculation that has further jeopardized Ukraine's already-frayed relationship with the U.S., its biggest military backer — endangering its ability to keep fighting the war, or negotiate an end to it on more favourable terms. 

"Some people don't like Zelenskyy, some people like Zelenskyy," said Tkachuk when asked by CBC News about how the soldiers in his unit were reacting to the meeting. 

"But it's not about Zelenskyy … it's about our country."

Tkachuk allowed CBC News to publish his image and full name, instead of being just identified by his call sign, because he is currently changing roles in the military, and because he said he felt he needed to speak openly during this "very important moment" for Ukraine. 

The soldier said he was not worried about the possibility of U.S. abruptly cutting off the flow of aid and weapons.

It was scarier, he said, three years ago when Russian tanks and soldiers poured over the border, and Ukraine was fighting without the sophisticated U.S. weapons, such as the Patriot Missile systems that the country now possesses.