U.S. Vice President Vance says Zelensky endangers Ukraine’s ‘existence’ by criticizing Trump publicly
Hours after Donald Trump described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “a Dictator without Elections,” U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance continued the White House’s criticisms in an interview with right-wing news website The National Pulse, accusing Zelensky of “publicly attacking the only reason [Ukraine] exists right now.” Vance called the Ukrainian leader’s behavior “disgraceful” and said Zelensky’s comments about President Trump could jeopardize Ukraine’s relationship with the United States. “The idea that [Zelensky] is going to litigate his disagreements with the president in the public square […] This is not a good way to deal with President Trump,” Vance told The National Pulse.
In the interview, the vice president also repeated Trump’s calls for elections in Ukraine, saying it is “American policy” that Zelensky should go before voters. “How can you attack elections when your entire framing for the war in Ukraine is that it’s a war for democracy? I just think it’s ridiculous,” said Vance.
Vladimir Putin has repeatedly dismissed Zelensky as an illegitimate leader, arguing that his elected term expired last spring. Ukraine’s presidential election was constitutionally scheduled for March 31, 2024, but the nation’s constitution prohibits holding elections under martial law, which Zelensky imposed in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
