Zelensky berated by Trump, Vance, and media in an unprecedented Oval Office meeting: “You should be thanking the United States”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office today, joined by members of their administrations and the press. After meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier in the week, it seemed the Trump administration’s stance on Ukraine was softening. Trump even refused to repeat his claim from last week that the Ukrainian premier was a dictator.

Quickly, diplomatic relations were thrown up in the air again after a highly contentious meeting between the Trump administration’s top officials and President Zelenskyy. Many of the media invited to the Oval Office meeting are outwardly supportive of President Trump, making it a uniquely unfriendly crowd for the Ukranian leader.

Zelenskyy and Trump were expected to sign an agreement granting the U.S. rights to rare earth minerals and energy resources in Ukraine, but any negotiations seem likely to stall after what played out in the White House.

Whenever the Ukrainian leader tried to launch a defense of his actions, he was shot down and attacked for lacking appreciation for the support the United States had given Ukraine over the last three years.

Attacks from all sides

The criticism of Zelenskyy came from multiple voices in the room, with one administration official questioning the appropriateness of his attire. “Why don’t you wear a suit?” asked Brian Glenn from the pro-Trump network, Real America’s Voice. Zelenskyy is famous for wearing military fatigues outfits or outfits similar to that which he wore to the White House. International security experts dismissed the questions as unnecessary, given the war the country is fighting. Zelenskyy responded that once the war was over he would change his attire, and instead where a costume, alluding to the fact that his would be nicer than the one worn by Glenn.

Later, Vice President JD Vance launched his own attacks on the Ukrainian leader, telling him that he should be “thanking the United States,” rather than creating challenges for peace. When Zelenskyy tried to respond the vice president said that he was acting disrespectfully and attempting to “litigate [...] in front of the American media.”

US and world leaders defend Zelensky after tense meeting

In recent weeks, Vance has repeatedly shown he is willing to act as an attack dog for President Trump, and in this instance, he led to an uncomfortable exchange. At the Munich Security Conference earlier this month, the vice president used his speech to criticize the United Kingdom, resulting in an awkward moment with the British Prime Minister during his Washington visit. Although Vance had condemned the UK for its stance on expressive freedoms, particularly efforts to silence anti-abortion protesters, he softened his language when asked to defend his comments in the Oval Office.

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont took to social media after watching the videos from the Oval Office, condemning the behavior of the Trump administration’s top representatives.

“Trump berates Zelenskyy, the leader of a democratic country courageously fighting Russian imperialism, while he allies himself with Putin, a dictator who started the bloodiest European war in 80 years,” wrote the senator.

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