Inflating the Ukrainian leader’s ego does a disservice to the country’s people, according to the US vice president
US Vice President J.D. Vance has accused America’s European allies of inflating Vladimir Zelensky’s ego, arguing that encouraging the Ukrainian leader’s refusal to compromise harms the beleaguered nation’s citizens.
Last Friday, Zelensky was asked to leave the White House following a tense exchange with Vance and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Monday, Vance accused senior European officials who expressed support for Zelensky in response to the incident of “puffing him up.”
“They say: ‘you are a freedom fighter; you need to keep fighting forever.’ Well, fighting forever with what? With whose money and whose ammunition and with whose lives?” Vance asked.
The vice president asserted that while some European leaders privately acknowledge that funding for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia cannot last indefinitely, they publicly promise support for Zelensky for the next decade. He argued that this posturing is “doing a disservice to the Ukrainians.”
Vance suggested that Zelensky’s visit to the White House was intended to be ceremonial but devolved into a shouting match when the Ukrainian leader dismissed the possibility of diplomatic engagement with Russia. Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch supporter of Ukraine, has called for Zelensky’s resignation following the altercation.
”When you’ve lost Lindsay Graham, that means you need to come to the negotiating table and recognize – Donald Trump is the only game in town,” Vance said. He emphasized that the proposal to keep pouring resources into the conflict and hope for a Ukrainian turnaround on the battlefield is “not a strategy.”
Following the White House debacle, Zelensky maintained that he did nothing wrong and traveled to London for discussions with European leaders. On Sunday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the formation of a “coalition of the willing” that could deploy troops to Ukraine, contingent upon reaching a peace agreement with Russia.
Many European officials have stated that any such mission would need US support, while the Trump administration has ruled out the involvement of American troops.
