U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance responded to Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent public attacks on President Donald Trump, which included pronouncing that Trump “lives in this disinformation space” of Russian propaganda. Vance delivered the stern warning in a Jan. 18 interview with the National Pulse, in which he described Zelenskyy’s approach as “disgraceful” and counterproductive, emphasizing that such tactics could jeopardize Ukraine’s relationship with its most crucial ally. “This is not a good way to deal with President Trump,” he said pointedly.
“Zelenskyy is getting really bad advice, and I don’t know from whom,” Vance said. “He’s not dealing with Joe Biden and the Biden administration anymore. He’s dealing with Donald Trump and the Trump administration.… The idea that he’s going to litigate his disagreements with the president in the public square.... This is not a good way to deal with President Trump,” Vance said. “Of course, the Ukrainians are going to have their perspective. The way to surface that is in a private discussion with American diplomats.… he’s attacking the only reason this country exists, publicly, right now. And it’s disgraceful. And it’s not something that is going to move the President of the United States. In fact, it’s going to have the opposite effect.”
Vance reaffirmed Trump’s policy on Ukraine: the war must end. He further asserted that U.S. policy now requires that Ukraine have elections.