Kelly has long backed Ukraine in its war with Russia and spoken in harsh terms about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The public blowup could propel President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to escalate the fight in Ukraine instead of agreeing to peace.

Never in the past few decades at least has an American president engaged in such an angry, scathing attack on a visiting foreign leader in the Oval Office.

Peter Baker, a veteran journalist and former Moscow correspondent for the New York Times, compared the White House’s decision to Kremlin tactics.

Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that his relations with the United States can still be repaired, after President Donald Trump shouted at him in an angry White House meltdown accusing the Ukrainian leader of refusing to make peace with Russia.

Karoline Leavitt, newly appointed White House press secretary, criticized New York Times journalist Peter Baker for comparing President Trump’s media tactics to those of Russian President Putin. The clash arose after the Trump administration took control of press pool access,