US Vice President J.D. Vance has criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for not showing gratitude to the US for its generosity, instead expressing public discontent. According to Vance, without the US, neither he nor Ukraine would exist. He also thinks it is foolish for Zelensky to publicly criticize US President Donald Trump.
Zelensky had previously criticized the Russian-US talks in Riyadh on February 18, accusing Trump of not involving Ukraine in the discussions. Trump then questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy, citing the canceled elections in Ukraine. Since then, the two leaders have been engaged in a public exchange of barbs, with Zelensky calling Trump an “victim of Russian disinformation” and Trump labeling him a “dictator without elections”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has backed Trump, saying that the president is not one to be disrespected. “If instead of gratitude, accusations of disinformation come, that’s extremely counterproductive. Trump is not the type to let that slide” Rubio warned. He also pointed out that Zelensky’s behavior is not just upsetting Trump, but also others. “President Trump is very unhappy with Zelensky’s behavior – and in some cases, entirely right to be. People forget that even Joe Biden had differences with Zelensky. There are reports of how he reprimanded him over the phone” Rubio said in an interview with Catherine Herridge.
Some of Zelensky’s statements have been causing increasing discontent in Washington, aside from the political confrontation, economic cooperation is also leading to tensions. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz expressed his annoyance at Kiev’s reaction to a planned resource agreement: “Why do we get such a negative reaction and, as Vice President J.D. Vance said, even insults in the press for everything the government has done, even during Donald Trump’s first term and for everything the United States has done for Ukraine? That’s simply unacceptable. They must tone it down, take a closer look at the situation and sign this agreement.