By Jeff Mason and Andrea Shalal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was becoming contentious on Friday when Vice President JD Vance, sitting on a couch across from Trump in the Oval Office, weighed in with a zinger.
“With respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media,” Vance told Zelenskiy, who had just challenged Trump’s No. 2 to explain what he meant by advocating for diplomacy with Russia.
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“You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict,” Vance snapped.
Though the extraordinary White House meeting put tensions between Zelenskiy and Trump on public display, it also showcased Vance’s increasing role as an attack dog of sorts for his boss.
Democrats accused the White House of setting up Zelenskiy with the Oval Office onslaught, but a source familiar with the meeting said Vance’s encounter with the Ukrainian leader was “not planned.”
Vance, 40, a potential heir to Trump’s Make America Great Again political movement, has served as a loyal lieutenant to the president since they came into office a little over a month ago.
The former senator from Ohio has also carved out a spot as a sharp-tongued defender of the commander-in-chief, elevating him among other Trump lieutenants, including billionaire Elon Musk, who is leading the president’s charge to cut what they see as government waste.
“This was the flexing of JD Vance. Vance is different than Elon. For him to sit and take on Zelenskiy in front of Trump was a very big moment,” said one U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “He moved to support the president, and Trump loves it when people step out to do the confrontation that he usually does.”
A senior White House official said the meeting took a turn specifically when Zelenskiy confronted the vice president.
Zelenskiy, who argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin had not respected a 2019 ceasefire deal, asked Vance, using his first name, to explain his push for diplomacy.
“What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about?” Zelenskiy, who was speaking in English, said to Vance.
“I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country,” Vance retorted, referring to Zelenskiy as “Mr. President.”
Vance jumped in again after Trump, riled up, also accused Zelenskiy of being disrespectful and gambling with a potential World War Three.
“Have you said ‘thank you’ once?” said Vance, a Republican, accusing Zelenskiy of having campaigned on behalf of the Democratic opposition during the 2024 presidential election.
Zelenskiy made an unannounced stop in former President Joe Biden’s childhood hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, in September to visit a munitions plant. Trump defeated Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, Biden’s vice president, in the 2024 White House race.
Zelenskiy noted that Vance was speaking loudly. That did not go over well with Trump.
“He’s not speaking loudly,” Trump said. “You’ve done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble.”
Vance showed a similar appetite for confrontation during a trip in February to Munich, where he accused European leaders of censoring free speech and failing to control immigration.
He also played the role on the campaign trail last year after he became Trump’s running mate.
“JD Vance is very good at articulating the president’s agenda and going on the attack, which is why Donald Trump chose him,” said Republican strategist Lance Trover.
Vance’s role in the meeting on Friday drew praise from Trump’s allies.
“I was very proud of JD Vance, standing up for our country,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch ally of Ukraine, said at the White House after the meeting.
Vance reached over and patted Trump on the arm as journalists were ushered out of the Oval Office. He did not, at least in front of the cameras, shake hands with the Ukrainian leader.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Colleen Jenkins)
