Vance rejects Zelenskyy’s claim of pro-Russia stance as absurd
U.S. Vice President JD Vance dismissed accusations from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he justifies Russia’s attack on Ukraine, labeling the claims “absurd” and “unproductive,” according to Reuters.
Vance emphasized that he has condemned Russia’s invasion since 2022 but has since sought to “understand the strategic objectives of both sides to find a solution.”
“That doesn't mean you morally support the Russian cause, or that you support the full-scale invasion, but you do have to try to understand what are their strategic red lines, in the same way that you have to try to understand what the Ukrainians are trying to get out of the conflict,” Vance said. "I think it's sort of absurd for Zelenskyy to tell the [American] government, which is currently keeping his entire government and war effort together, that we are somehow on the side of the Russians.”
He also described Zelenskyy’s rhetoric as “certainly not productive.”
In a prior CBS News interview, Zelenskyy had claimed that Vance was attempting to justify Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions. He also argued that U.S. President Donald Trump should support Ukraine “as a strong president of a strong country” and that it was wrong for America to “want to be neutral.”