A Lithuanian publishing house has recalled the US vice president’s novel in protest of Washington’s policy turn away from Kiev
Lithuanian publishing house Sofoklis has taken US Vice President J.D. Vance’s book ‘Hillbillie Elegy’ off the shelves in response to reports that Washington has halted all military aid to Kiev. The White House has not directly confirmed those reports to date.
A number of outlets have claimed that US President Donald Trump made the decision after his public altercation with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky in Washington last week. Speaking to the press afterward, Trump accused Zelensky of not wanting peace and trying to drag Washington into supporting the conflict long-term.
When asked about the reported pause of US aid to Ukraine, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told Fox News on Wednesday that the president would consider reversing it “if we can nail down these [peace] negotiations.”
The publisher made its own announcement in a Facebook post on Tuesday: “After the US presidential administration suspended aid to Ukraine, the publishing house Sofoklis withdrew J.D. Vance’s book ‘Hillbillie Elegy’ from sale until the US foreign policy towards Ukraine changes.”
Sofoklis suggested customers read books by Ukrainian authors and donate to Kiev instead.
Since his spat with Trump, Zelensky has called the episode “regrettable,” although he did not apologize. The Ukrainian leader has also offered to sign a minerals deal with the US, the signing of which was cancelled by last week’s debacle.
Trump has touted the deal as a way for the US to “get back” the money it has spent on funding Kiev since the escalation of the conflict in 2022.
In addition, Zelensky has declared himself ready to work towards an immediate ceasefire, reversing his hardline position on peace talks. In the past, he said that Ukraine would fight as long as it takes, and that any talks would be on Kiev’s terms.
Moscow has repeatedly stated that it finds a temporary ceasefire to the Ukraine conflict unacceptable, alleging that it would be used by Kiev to rearm. Russia insists on what it calls a permanent, legally binding solution that would address the fundamental causes of the conflict.
