JD Vance blasts Zelenskyy for 'disrespectful' Oval Office behaviour as he says Ukraine should be 'thanking America'
28 February 2025, 19:47
JD Vance has blasted Zelenskyy for what he labels 'disrespectful' behaviour after Friday's White House meeting descended into chaos.
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The exchange saw the Vice-President take aim at Ukraine's leader, as tempers soared in the Oval Office during a meeting in front of the waiting world media.
"Have you said thank you once?" Vance shot at Zelenskyy, adding: "It's disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media”.
It comes as Ukraine's leader was set to sign a key minerals deal with the US, with Zelenskyy instead leaving the White House early, with the scheduled press conference and dinner cancelled.
It comes as a White House spokesperson told Fox News that Zelensky had in fact been "kicked out" rather than leaving of his own accord.
Reciting what many consider to be Russian propaganda, Vance defended Trump, who he claimed was “engaging in diplomacy” with Putin.
Read more: 'Make a deal or we're out', Trump warns as he accuses Zelenskyy of 'gambling with World War Three'
Blasting the Ukrainian leader, Vance demanded he apologise - an accusation that's contradicted by previous press conferences in which the leader publicly thanked the American people for their help.
Responding, Zelenskyy said he had apologised "a lot of times".
"You went to Pennsylvania to campaign for the opposition" Vance retorted, accusing the Ukrainian leader of appealing to ex-US President Biden in a bid to garner support.
A visibly baffled Zelensky responded: "What are you speaking about?“
"For four years the United States of America, we had a president who stood up at press conferences and talked tough about Vladimir Putin, and then Putin invaded Ukraine and destroyed a significant chunk of the country," Vance said, chiming in to Trump and Zelenskyy on Friday.
"We tried the pathway of Joe Biden, of thumping our chest and pretending that the President of the United States's words mattered more than the President of the United States' actions,” Vance said.
In response, Zelensky pointed out the history of the conflict, explaining that the war first began in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea, adding that multiple peace agreements that Putin had previously been violated.
It's a statement that triggered a Trump response, with the President adding that the date was "before" he came to power.
“I signed with him, the deal I signed with him. Macron and Merkel, we signed ceasefire. Ceasefire. All of them told me that he will never go. We signed him gas contract ... but after that, he broke this ceasefire, he killed our people, and he didn't exchange prisoners. We signed the exchange of prisoners, but he didn't do it,” Zelenskyy said in the office.
Turning to Vance, he added: “What kind of diplomacy, JD you are speaking about?”
Vance replied: “I'm talking about the kind of diplomacy that's going to end the destruction of your country.”
Adding that Zelenskyy said "you should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict".