You are not only fighting for your freedom but also for all of Europe’s,” Sweden's Prime Minister said to Zelensky.

The question hovering over Washington was whether the confrontation was a spontaneous outburst or a planned verbal smack down.

A remarkable shouting match broke out in the Oval Office on Friday between President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, an extraordinarily fractious display that only underscored the deeply uncertain future of American assistance to Kyiv.