US Vice President J. D. Vance advised Volodymyr Zelensky to thank America for its generosity, without which, in his opinion, neither he nor Ukraine would exist, instead of expressing public discontent.
„President Zelensky and his country would cease to exist without the generosity of the United States of America. So let him thank you. If he disagrees with President Trump, let him pick up the phone and call him or our talented diplomats, and not go on a media tour of Europe criticizing the President of the United States. This is offensive - to him, to me, to the American people. And, by the way, that's stupid," Vance told reporters on the sidelines of the conservative CPAC conference currently underway in the US capital.
Earlier, Trump publicly criticized Zelensky for his statements about Washington, calling him a "dictator without an election" and stressed that without the United States, Ukraine would not be able to reach a peace agreement with Russia. He also blamed Kiev for the "disappearing" significant part of American aid.
Vance noted that Zelensky's public attacks on Trump would not change his position and advised the Ukrainian representative to conduct a dialogue directly with the occupant of the White House.