Global Leaders, U.S. Lawmakers React to Fiery Trump and Vance Clash With Zelensky

The explosive Oval Office argument Friday between President Zelensky, President Trump, and Vice President Vance immediately sparked reaction in Washington and across the globe.“We all were right to have helped Ukraine and sanctioned Russia three years ago and to continue to do so,” President Macron of France told reporters while on a state visit to Portugal. “There’s an aggressor, which is Russia, and a people attacked, which is Ukraine.”“We must thank all those who helped and respect those who have been fighting since the beginning.”Poland’s Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, took to X to support Mr. Zelensky.“Dear @ZelenskyyUa, dear Ukrainian friends, you are not alone,” he wrote.Mr. Zelensky visited the White House on Friday to discuss the war in Ukraine, sign a rare earth minerals agreement with America, and seek security guarantees from America. However, instead of a productive conversation reassuring America’s commitment, a public shouting match occurred during a press availability before the meeting began, with Messrs. Trump and Vance tag-teaming the Ukrainian leader. Following the meeting, Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social that Mr. Zelensky had shown disrespect in the Oval Office and mentioned that he could return when only he was prepared to discuss peace.The deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council and a close ally of President Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, said, “A brutal dressing-down in the Oval Office. Trump told the cocaine clown the truth to his face: his regime plays with WW3.”He added, “The ungrateful pig got a well-deserved slap from his masters. It’s good, but not enough — we must stop military aid to the Nazi war machine.”Congresswoman Victoria Spartz of Indiana, who was born in Ukraine, also criticized Mr. Zelensky.“Zelensky is doing a serious disservice to the Ukrainian people insulting the American President and the American people – just to appease Europeans and increase his low polling in Ukraine after he failed miserably to defend his country,” Ms. Spartz said in a post on X. “This is not a theater act but a real war!”In Ukraine, officials threw their support behind Mr. Zelensky.“Unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s interests and devotion to his country. This is what we saw today in the United States. Support for the President of Ukraine,” Vice Prime Minister for the Reconstruction of Ukraine and the Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, Oleksii Kuleba, wrote on Telegram on Friday.Head of Ukraine’s eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, which sits approximately 3 miles from where Russian forces are currently advancing, said:“In the fight for the fate of the country — fundamentally unshakable. Unquestioning support for Volodymyr Zelensky. Endurance to our leader. We believe in the President! We believe in Ukraine.”Democratic U.S. senators, who had just met with Mr. Zelensky before the blowup, immediately reacted to the horror unfolding on live television.Senator Klobuchar had a pointed message for Mr. Vance, saying, “Shame on You.”“Answer to Vance: Zelenskyy has thanked our country over and over again both privately and publicly,” she said on X.“And our country thanks HIM and the Ukrainian patriots who have stood up to a dictator, buried their own & stopped Putin from marching right into the rest of Europe. Shame on you.”Senator Schumer also reacted on X to the fallout from the verbal battle between both world leaders. The New York Democrat said his party would “never stop fighting for freedom and democracy.”Senator Murphy of Connecticut also weighed in.“What an utter embarrassment for America. This whole sad scene,” he said on X.In a later post, Mr. Murphy called the incident a “planned ambush.”“What just happened in the oval office was a planned ambush, designed to help a brutal Russian dictator and hurt America’s security,” he said.“Trump has become Putin’s lapdog, and America’s global power is hemorrhaging as America sides with dictators over democracy. What an embarrassment.”On the other side of the aisle, Senator Graham told Fox News that Mr. Zelensky should apologize. “I told him this morning, don’t take the bait, don’t let the media or anybody else get you into an argument with President Trump,” Mr. Graham said on Fox News. “Zelensky is going to have to fundamentally change or go.”Senator Lee said, “Thank you for standing up for OUR COUNTRY and putting America first, President Trump and Vice President Vance!”

Global Leaders, U.S. Lawmakers React to Fiery Trump and Vance Clash With Zelensky

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