Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused U.S. Vice President JD Vance of “somehow justifying” Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, his most critical comments about the top American politician since their heated Oval Office exchange in February.
Speaking to American news program 60 Minutes, Zelenskyy said some officials in the U.S. government were falling victim to Russian disinformation and pushing an “altered reality” about which side started the war.
“I believe, sadly, Russian narratives are prevailing in the U.S.,” he said, according to a translation of his remarks by CBS. “This speaks to the enormous influence of Russia’s information policy on America, on U.S. politics and U.S. politicians.”
Zelenskyy singled out Vance, accusing him of “somehow justifying Putin’s actions.”
“I tried to explain, ‘You can’t look for something in the middle. There is an aggressor and there is a victim. The Russians are the aggressor, and we are the victim,’” he added, referring to their tense conversation at the White House in February.
During that meeting, Vance called Zelenskyy “disrespectful” for arguing that Moscow would not respect a negotiated ceasefire and scolded him for not showing enough gratitude for American aid.
When Zelenskyy invited Vance to visit Ukraine to see the destruction wrought by Russia for himself, the vice president accused him of taking people on a “propaganda tour.”
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