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“Sometimes people disagree,” Vance said during a wide-ranging interview with USA TODAY. “Do I wish we had had a blowup in public? Not necessarily.” But he added, “I think that was useful for the American people to see.”
The February 28 Oval Office confrontation took place as Zelenskyy visited the White House to sign a deal for the U.S. to receive revenue from Ukraine’s minerals in exchange for military assistance against Russia’s invasion.
The meeting started with Trump criticizing Zelenskyy’s wardrobe and quickly devolved into a shouting match that played out for nearly an hour on television. Vance lectured Zelenskyy, arguing he hadn’t shown proper gratitude for the billions of dollars in military aid the U.S. had provided. Vance suggested better diplomacy could have prevented the Russian invasion.
Vance acknowledged that labeling the meeting contentious would be “to put it mildly.” He said his real concern was with the Biden administration’s Ukraine policy, which had committed $128 billion to defend Ukraine but had no clear plan for ending the war. Vance felt frustrated by what he perceived as a lack of real goal or diplomacy in how the aid was used.
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In an interview with USA TODAY, Vance stated that while there are issues of disagreement between the U.S. and Ukraine, his main concern was with the American side, particularly the Democratic administration under Joe Biden. He noted that Zelenskyy would come to Washington with billions of dollars without any real plan or diplomacy.
Vance acknowledged that the February 28 Oval Office meeting was contentious but believed it was useful for showing the American people the issues at hand. He emphasized that while disagreements occur, his real concern is with the Biden administration’s lack of a strategy to end the war in Ukraine.
Vance and Trump have had several good conversations with Zelenskyy and plan to continue working towards peace. They agree on protecting Ukraine’s territorial integrity and ending the conflict without further bloodshed.
The administration sees the war reaching a point where both sides are not accomplishing much. Vance believes the best outcome would be to stop the fighting and achieve a peaceful resolution, benefiting everyone including the United States.
