US Vice President says Mr Zelensky behaved badly when he publicly criticized Mr Trump

US Vice President JD Vance on February 19 spoke out about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s public criticism of President Donald Trump.

US Vice President JD Vance. Photo: Reuters.

According to the Kyiv Independent, Mr Vance said Mr Zelensky was trying to change Mr Trump’s mind through the media. “Mr Zelensky’s idea of ​​changing President Trump’s mind by publicly defaming him in the media is a very bad way to deal with it,” Mr Vance said.

Earlier, Mr. Zelensky said that Mr. Trump was being fooled by Russian disinformation. Mr. Zelensky rejected Mr. Trump’s claim that the Ukrainian President had only 4% approval rating and therefore needed to hold elections soon.

A February 19 poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) showed that 57% of Ukrainians said they supported Mr. Zelensky, up 5% from December 2024.

Mr. Vance rejected Mr. Zelensky’s argument, asserting that President Trump’s stance was not influenced by Russia. “President Trump is very knowledgeable about geopolitics and has been taking a tough stance on this issue for a long time,” Mr. Vance said.

Mr Vance said Mr Zelensky had received “bad advice” on how to deal with the Trump administration, as well as thinking that Ukraine had done nothing wrong over the past three years.

“We love the Ukrainian people. We have seen the Ukrainian soldiers fight with great courage. But it is clear that this conflict must end quickly,” Mr. Vance added, implying that Kiev must accept a solution to end the conflict.

Mr. Vance also stated that pushing for elections in Ukraine is part of US policy. The US Vice President called Ukraine’s refusal to hold elections on the grounds that the conflict is not over “absurd.”

“How can we prevent democratic elections in Ukraine when we are framing the conflict in Ukraine as a fight for democracy? I think that is ridiculous,” Mr. Vance said, referring to the stance of some European countries.

Currently, the Trump administration considers Mr. Zelensky and the ruling apparatus in Ukraine as factors that hinder peace and prolong the conflict, according to the Kyiv Independent.

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