U.S. Vice President JD Vance criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Feb. 19, saying his public remarks about U.S. President Donald Trump were counterproductive.
"The idea that Zelensky is going to change the president's mind by badmouthing him in public media — everyone who knows the president will tell you that is an atrocious way to deal with this administration," Vance told DailyMail.
His comments come after Zelensky dismissed Trump's claim that his support among Ukrainians had fallen to 4%, saying the U.S. president had been misled by Russian disinformation. Trump made the comment as an argument of why Ukraine should hold elections in the near future.
A Feb. 19 poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) showed that 57% of Ukrainians trust Zelensky, a five-point increase since December.
Vance rejected that assertion, insisting that Trump's stance on Ukraine was not influenced by Russian narratives. "Donald Trump is well-versed in geopolitics and has held a strong stance on the matter for a long time," he claimed.
He also suggested that Zelensky had received "bad advice" on dealing with the Trump administration and had been told he "could do nothing wrong" for the past three years.
"We obviously love the Ukrainian people. We admire the bravery of the soldiers, but we obviously think that this war needs to come to a rapid close," Vance added.
This follows Trump's latest criticism of Zelensky, where he labeled the Ukrainian leader a "dictator" in a Truth Social post, accusing him of refusing to hold elections.
Trump's claim ignores the fact that Ukraine's constitution prohibits elections during martial law, which has been in effect since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Trump has previously suggested that Ukraine should hold new elections, implying that Zelensky's leadership was a factor in prolonging the war.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
