A meeting in the Oval Office Friday morning ended in a heated argument between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Utah’s senators weighed in after a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office Friday morning ended in a heated argument between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
During the 50-minute meeting, held in front of media and during which the top leaders spoke over one another, Trump accused Zelenskyy of being ungrateful and that he was “gambling with World War III.”
Vance added, “Do you think that it’s respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?”
Zelenskyy asked Vance, “Have you ever been to Ukraine? Have you seen the problems we have? Come once.”
The world leaders were expected to discuss ongoing negotiations regarding the Russia Ukraine war and sign a minerals deal between the United States and Ukraine. After the meeting, the White House canceled its scheduled joint press conference between Trump and Zelenskyy — where the pair were expected to sign the minerals deal. The deal was not signed.
Both of Utah’s senators took to social media after the meeting and had decidedly different reactions.
“Thank you for standing up for OUR COUNTRY and putting America first, President Trump and Vice President Vance!” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said in a post on X.
Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, encouraged the leaders to “get back to the table.”
“Diplomacy and statesmanship seem to have been checked at the door of the Oval Office today,” he wrote in a post on X. “Ukraine is an ally in pursuit of free markets, free speech, and free people—Western values that align with our own. A win for Putin, on the other hand, does not. I am hopeful that our countries can get back to the table and advance the prospects of a just and lasting peace.
On his @BasedMikeLee account, Lee called the exchange between Vance and Zelenskyy epic.
“When @JDVance started calling out Zelenskyy (epic moment by the way), Zelenskyy immediately asked Vance if he had been to Ukraine — as if that determined whether he was qualified to opine on anything related to Ukraine. One of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen any leader—foreign or domestic—do in Washington And I’ve seen a lot of dumb moves in that town!”
Source: Utah News