Zelensky accuses Vance of ‘somehow justifying Putin’s actions’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Vice President Vance of “somehow justifying Putin’s actions” in an interview that aired Sunday.

“First and foremost, we did not launch an attack to start the war. It seems to me that the vice president is somehow justifying Putin’s actions,” Zelensky told CBS’s Scott Pelley on “60 Minutes” in a translation from the outlet.

Zelensky’s relationship with the Trump administration in its first few months has been rocky as U.S. officials have pushed for an end to the conflict in Ukraine.

A little under two months ago, Zelensky had a heated meeting with President Trump and Vance in which the Ukrainian and American presidents clashed over U.S. support for Ukraine, with the vice president playing a major part in the tension.

Vance has previously expressed doubt about U.S. military support for Ukraine and pushed for engagement with Russian President Vladimir Putin for “American interests.”

“I’ve never once argued that Putin is a kind and friendly person. I’ve argued that he’s a person with distinct interests, and the United States has to respond to that person with distinct interests,” Vance said in early 2024 at the Munich Security Conference, while still a senator.

In his interview that aired on “60 Minutes,” Zelensky called on Trump to visit Ukraine.

“You think you understand what’s going on here, OK, we respect your position, you understand,” the Ukrainian president said. “But please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of formats of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors.”

In a Truth Social post Monday morning, Trump said the conflict in Ukraine “is [former President] Biden’s war.”

“I just got here, and for four years during my term, had no problem in preventing it from happening. President Putin, and everyone else, respected your President! I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS WAR, BUT AM WORKING DILIGENTLY TO GET THE DEATH AND DESTRUCTION TO STOP,” Trump said.

In a statement emailed to The Hill on Monday, Vance’s press secretary Taylor Van Kirk said he “has repeatedly said that this war was not justified to begin with and is the product of Joe Biden’s weakness and incompetence.”

“Instead of mischaracterizing Vice President Vance’s rhetoric, President Zelensky should be focused on bringing this conflict to a peaceful conclusion. His comments are counterproductive to the goal of achieving peace for his country,” the statement continued.

— Updated at 1:40 p.m. EDT