The Ukrainian leader was caught on a hot mic apparently cursing at the US vice president
Multiple social media users have claimed that Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky was overheard swearing in Russian during a heated exchange with US President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance in the Oval Office.
Zelensky’s visit to the White House on Friday was abruptly cut short after his meeting with Trump and Vance devolved into a shouting match in front of the media. The two US officials accused the Ukrainian leader of “gambling with World War III” due to his reluctance to negotiate peace with Russia, and of being disrespectful and ungrateful for the substantial military aid provided to Kiev by Washington.
During the intense discussion, Vance highlighted Ukraine’s challenges in conscripting additional troops and suggested that Ukraine should be “thanking” Trump for efforts to resolve the conflict between Moscow and Kiev.
In response, Zelensky questioned how the vice president could understand Ukraine’s issues without having visited the country.
Vance replied that foreign leaders visiting Kiev are subjected to “propaganda tours” orchestrated by the government.
Footage from the meeting shows Zelensky at one point looking away during Vance’s remarks and muttering a few words to himself, with his microphone still on.
Incredible. “cyka”
Zelensky called JD Vance a bitch under his breath when Vance was giving him the lay of the land. pic.twitter.com/bk2QtnU2cR
Although his words are not clearly audible, several Russian and Western social media accounts have suggested that Zelensky said, ‘suka, blyad’. This vulgar Russian phrase, popularized globally as ‘cyka blyat’ by gamers and internet users, can be roughly translated as ‘b*tch whore’ or ‘b*tch, f**king hell’.
Zelensky had traveled to Washington to finalize an agreement granting the US rights to Ukraine’s natural resources as compensation for military assistance. However, the signing ceremony and subsequent press conference were canceled, and Zelensky was asked to leave prematurely.
In a interview with Fox News, Zelensky described the Oval Office encounter as “not good,” but said he is not sure whether he “did anything bad.”
Trump told journalists that Zelensky would be welcome back to the White House only “when he is ready for peace.”
