Vice President JD Vance recently gave some insight into what happened during the recent White House meeting with Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Vance says his answer to the journalist’s question set the Ukrainian president “off,” leading to the viral showdown between the U.S. and Ukrainian leaders.
“I do think that there was just a certain sense of — there was a lack of respect. There was a certain sense of entitlement,” Vance told Sean Hannity in an interview on Fox on March 3.
“Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media right now,” Vance said to Zelenskyy during the February 28 meeting at the Oval Office.
As reported in The Dallas Express late last month, Zelenskyy was in Washington to discuss granting the United States mineral rights access in Ukraine. However, after the standoff, Zelenskyy departed Washington without signing any agreements.
“You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict,” Vance told the Ukrainian president at one point during the discussion, per Fox.
According to Vance, he tried to have the conversation privately, but explained that President Trump wanted the public to witness the meeting.
“The President was like, nope, actually, I don’t want to have it in private anymore. I want to have this actual conversation in public for the American people to see,” Vance told Hannity.
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy took to the social media platform X to express regret over the meeting with Trump and Vance.
“We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence. And we remember the moment when things changed when President Trump provided Ukraine with Javelins. We are grateful for this,” Zelenskyy posted on March 4.
“Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be. It is regrettable that it happened this way. It is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive.”
“Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it in any time and in any convenient format. We see this agreement as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees, and I truly hope it will work effectively,” the Ukrainian president added.
The Trump administration reportedly moved to suspend all U.S. military aid to Ukraine until the country comes to the negotiating table in good faith.