All Zelenskyy Did Was Ask a Reasonable Question

Ukraine and the Rest of the World Deserves Better Than This

There’s no getting around it. What happened on Friday in the Oval Office was an embarrassment for the United States. It was the inevitable result of a couple of weeks of hostile behavior from the White House toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

For whatever reason, intentional or not, the insufferable person who is supposed to be the vice president, J.D. Vance, took a reasonable question from Zelenskyy and reacted in a way that’s beneath the office that he holds. Trump’s reaction was just as bad, but it’s the behavior we’ve come to expect from him.

A couple of weeks ago, Trump ridiculously said that Ukraine started the war with Russia and called Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections” after Zelenskyy said that Trump lives in a “disinformation space” of Russian propaganda. Trump later questioned whether he called the Ukrainian president a dictator. Ukraine, of course, is under martial law because of the Russian-instigated war and won’t hold elections until the war is over. Zelenskyy has also said he would step down if such an action would mean peace and membership in NATO.

Vance’s stunning display of inexperience when he suggested that diplomacy with Russia would work is what prompted Zelenskyy to, very calmly, point out that Ukraine had signed a ceasefire with Russia in 2014 that the country’s authoritarian ruler, Vladimir Putin, ignored. Then, Zelenskyy asked, “What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about? What do you mean?”

Vance couldn’t handle the question. He lashed out. He also got Trump to lash out. The meeting had gone well until that point. Zelenskyy spoke from Ukraine’s experience that negotiating with Russia doesn’t work.

There’s a reason Russia has objected to security guarantees for Ukraine, regardless of which country or countries put peacekeepers on the ground to enforce a ceasefire. There’s a reason Putin wants to take NATO membership for Ukraine off the table. He has every intention of continuing to violate Ukraine’s sovereignty.

I was concerned about the administration’s approach to foreign policy, generally, before Friday because Trump and Vance’s isolationism will create a void that China could fill. I was alarmed by the administration’s posture toward Ukraine because we’re showing deference to Russia. That deference illustrates an astounding, irresponsible level of naivete that bodes ominously for Ukraine’s future and Europe.

My friend, former Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-VA) has a take on the situation that I’ve thought about all weekend. During an interview, Riggleman said, “What's happened is that we have such a disinformation and propaganda landscape based on social media and far-right alternative media that there's no way for us to understand how integrated lies are into our policy making.” He also said we’ve seemingly switched sides in the conflict. He said, “It's not just a realignment of interest, it means we've become the baddies.”

The administration is taking the United States down a very concerning path. It’s not just Ukraine. It’s also the pause on foreign aid. We can discuss all day what foreign aid is wasteful and what’s not, but the fact is, less than 1 percent of federal spending is dedicated to foreign aid. It’s not a substantial sum. Another aspect of the broader concern is the tariffs that Trump wants to impose on Canada and Mexico, which are likely beginning on March 4, and we know that tariffs on the European Union are likely, if not inevitable now that Europe has rallied behind Ukraine after Trump and Vance embarrassed the United States on Friday.

The Wife™️ told me on Friday that she feels like we’ve never been closer to World War III. Russia and China undoubtedly feel emboldened by Trump. Russia will continue to terrorize Ukraine while China seemingly won’t have to worry about the United States when it inevitably invades Taiwan. The world is on fire, and we’re not leading. We’re embarrassing ourselves.