US Vice President JD Vance slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy‘s remarks critical of President Donald Trump, saying that Ukraine “wouldn’t exist without the generosity” of Washington.
“President Zelenskyy, his country wouldn’t exist without the generosity of the United States of America. So (he should) say thank you,” Vance said in a Thursday interview on the sidelines of the Conservative Political Action Conference, a major Republican Party gathering in Washington, DC.
Vance added: “All of us know the president would tell you that badmouthing him in public is not the way to get President Trump to change his mind. So, I think Zelenskyy needs to have some better consultants.”
He urged Zelenskyy to telephone Trump or one of the country’s diplomats in case of a disagreement.
“Don’t go on a media tour around Europe badmouthing the president,” he added, calling it insulting to Trump as well as “insulting to me, it’s insulting to the American people.”
Zelenskyy and Trump traded barbs this week around a meeting of US and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia to discuss issues such as an end to the war in Ukraine, raising concerns in Kyiv and among European leaders about being excluded from the talks.
Trump called Zelenskyy a “dictator,” suggesting that Ukraine had started the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022, while Zelenskyy said Trump lives in a “space of disinformation.”
During the Saudi visit, on Tuesday Zelenskyy visited the Turkish capital Ankara to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and underlined that any discussions on ending the war in Ukraine must include Ukraine.
In his presidency, Trump is known for personalizing relations with other countries, often saying he likes certain heads of state but does not like others.