Trump will meet the Ukrainian leader, along with several European heads of state and the NATO Secretary-General, on Monday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s upcoming return to the White House will likely go smoother if Vice President JD Vance does not attend, a senior Ukrainian official has said.
The Ukrainian leader’s now-infamous trip to the White House in late February saw Zelensky berated by President Donald Trump and the vice president in front of the world’s cameras. The visit was a dip in already strained relations between Kyiv and the Trump administration, a hideous diplomatic moment Ukrainian officials have been keen to rectify as U.S. efforts to reach a deal to end the fighting grind on.
It will be better for the Ukrainian delegation if Vance is not present for Monday’s meeting, Oleksandr Merezhko, the chair of Ukraine’s parliamentary foreign affairs committee and a member of Zelensky’s Servant of the People party, told Newsweek.
The February Oval Office meeting saw Vance « provoking » the Ukrainian leader, Merezhko said.
In among various barbed exchanges, Vance told Zelensky: « Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country. »
Zelensky « learned his lesson » from February, and will aim to strike a diplomatic and respectful tone, Merezhko said.
The Trump administration is less likely to « bully him again » if the Ukrainian leader is joined by Ukraine’s European allies, Merezhko added.
A number of Europe’s heads of state have confirmed they will make the journey to Washington for the meeting at the White House with Zelensky, including British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron. Finnish President Alexander Stubb may attend, Politico reported on Sunday.
