US Vice President JD Vance’s cousin has publicly chastised him and President Donald Trump for their “belittling” behavior of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a contentious Oval Office meeting in February.
Nate Vance, who volunteered with the Ukrainian military for three years after Russia’s full-fledged invasion, revealed his dissatisfaction in an interview with the BBC. “There’s a certain level of decorum that I expect from political leaders, especially in front of cameras,” he remarked, adding that the way the meeting was handled left him “not happy.”
His words follow previous remarks in which he accused Trump and JD Vance of being “useful idiots” for Russian President Vladimir Putin in their attitude to the conflict, as reported by The Guardian.
The February meeting, which was televised live, immediately became acrimonious. Trump vowed to remove US backing unless a solution was made, telling Zelensky to avoid “gambling with World War Three.” Meanwhile, JD Vance criticized Zelensky of being “disrespectful” by voicing concerns in front of the media, implying that the Ukrainian leader had failed to express thanks for American help.
However, Nate Vance denied the accusation. “Zelensky does a daily or nightly address where he thanks everyone who supports Ukraine,” he told me. He conceded that Zelensky may not have shown “enough deference to Donald Trump” but claimed that expecting such deference was unrealistic given that “my cousin and Donald Trump have been actively working against his initiatives for the past three years.”
Zelensky received an order to leave the White House as the situation deteriorated, leading to the unexpected cancellation of a scheduled news conference. In the aftermath, the Trump administration suspended military aid, satellite imaging, and information cooperation with Ukraine.
Another dispute erupted when a reporter chastised Zelensky for not wearing a suit to the meeting. Since the war began, the Ukrainian president has frequently donned military-style clothes to show sympathy with his forces. Nate Vance regarded the comments as childish.
Everyone understands why he dresses that way; it’s meaningful. Who cares? He said, “It’s a foolish position to take.” He also pointed out the double standard of permitting Elon Musk to routinely visit the Oval Office in casual dress, such as a baseball cap and T-shirt.
In a separate interview with Le Figaro, Nate Vance described his cousin as “a good guy, intelligent,” but characterized the Oval Office encounter as “an ambush of absolute bad faith.”
He confessed that his viewpoint was surprising considering his longtime Republican allegiance. “I’ve been a Republican all my life, so this is an unusual position for me to adopt. But I’m enthusiastic about it, and I believe we’re approaching this issue incorrectly,” he remarked.
When asked how other Americans perceived the interaction, he projected that 20% would be “disheartened” by it. He warned against increasing isolationism, saying, “The last time we took an isolationist approach, we ended up with World Wars One and Two.”
Zelensky later described the heated talk as “regrettable” and urged a further attempt to repair relations. Meanwhile, the United States continues to participate in diplomatic efforts with both Ukraine and Russia, attempting to reach an agreement to stop the conflict.
Last week, Trump stated that he was “doing very well with Russia” but confessed that dealing with Ukraine was “more difficult.”