President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sparred during their meeting at the White House.
Zelenskyy visited the White House on Friday to sign a deal regarding Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. During a meeting in the Oval Office, Zelenskyy told Trump and Vance that Vladimir Putin has violated agreements with his country in the past and occupied parts of Ukraine during Trump’s first term.
Vance responded by telling Zelenskyy, “I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the oval office and try to litigate this in front of them American media.” The vice president then accused his government of forcing civilians to the frontlines due to a low amount of manpower.
“Have you’ve ever been to Ukraine that you say what problems we have?” Zelenskyy shot back.
“I’ve actually watched and seen the stories and I know that what happens is you bring people, you bring them on a propaganda tour,” Vance continued. “Mr. President. Do you disagree that you’ve had problems bringing people into your military? And 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 trying to prevent the destruction of your country?”
Zelenskyy continued that under war, “everybody has problems, even you” and that the U.S. would feel the war “in the future.”
“You don’t know that,” Trump responded as Zelenskyy said “God bless you” to Trump.
“Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel,” Trump continued.
“You are in no position to dictate that, remember that,” Trump said, as Zelenskyy defended that he was simply answering Vance’s questions.
“I feel we’re going to feel very good, very strong,” Trump said. “You’re right now not in a very good position. You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position.”
“You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards,” Trump continued, as Zelesnkyy said, “I’m not playing cards.”
“Yeah you’re playing cards,” Trump said. “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III. You’re gambling with World War III. And what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country.”
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Zelensky is coming from a country where thousands have been killed unnecessarily. Trump makes it seem like it’s all Ukraine’s fault. I think I’d be more than a little upset when someone accused me of being an aggressor when all I’m trying to do is to survive. I am a major Trump supporter, but he is dead wrong on this. Here is the time to eliminate the Russian threat forever, but he is practically kissing Putin’s feet inviting him to take as much as he wants and encouraging him to invade wherever he chooses, and America will look the other way. Again, America picking and choosing its fights. No wonder no one trusts us. It seems that everything is about the money. The whole policy smacks of money. Turn Gaza into a Riviera, cut the fares for the Panama Canal or we’ll do it ourselves, take over Canada because we can save money, get a bunch of freebies from owning Greenland. I don’t fault cutting costs, but when we ease off on Russia because they are a better future investment, and we can make more out of future investments seems to go against everything we stand for. Hitler was appeased and see what happened next. Jews were killed by the millions for Hitler’s ambitions, and Putin has those same ambitions. He is sacrificing the lives of not only thousands of Ukrainians, but also those of thousands of unwilling Russian troops as well. The policies of the 1930s will not work now, as they will lead to the same results as when we went into debt in WWII…a debt that is still on the books and for which we are still paying.