As President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine headed into a high-stakes meeting in the Oval Office this week, Vice President JD Vance warned him to “behave.”
“Mr. President, so long as you behave, I won’t say anything,” Mr. Vance recounted to Fox News in an interview broadcast on Wednesday, adding that the Ukrainian leader chuckled in response.
It was not the first time that Mr. Vance had addressed Mr. Zelensky during a critical diplomatic summit with words more commonly spoken to toddlers than heads of state. In February, during a highly contentious Oval Office meeting with President Trump, Mr. Vance blasted Mr. Zelensky for being “disrespectful” and complained that he had not thanked the United States for the military assistance it had sent Ukraine to help in its war against a Russian invasion.
And even if Mr. Vance’s admonishment — and the overall tenor of Monday’s meeting — was more jovial this time around, it was a stark reminder of how much of Ukraine’s fate may be riding on Mr. Zelensky looking and acting in a manner Mr. Trump appreciates.
On Monday, it appeared that Mr. Zelensky, who was a successful actor and comedian before he became a wartime president, had figured out the part he had to play.
During the meeting, three days after Mr. Trump met in Alaska with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, Mr. Zelensky showered the U.S. leader with praise for his personal efforts to end the war. He did not challenge Mr. Trump over the state of the conflict or the terms of the unfolding peace process, despite their public differences over issues like territory loss. Instead, Mr. Zelensky focused on where they agreed — and let Mr. Trump do the bulk of the talking.
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