Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for refusing to step down after Zelensky dismissed Graham’s previous comments calling for his resignation following a meeting with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
In a post on X, Graham remarked that until Ukraine holds an election, “no one has a voice” in the country.
Graham’s comment came in response to a reporter who informed Zelensky that Graham had suggested he resign after making a series of disrespectful remarks during his meeting with President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In response, Zelensky referred to Graham as “a very good guy,” adding that he could offer him Ukrainian citizenship, “then his voice will start to gain weight.”
Graham responded on social media, saying, “Unfortunately, until there is an election, no one has a voice in Ukraine.”
As reported by Breitbart News’ Katherine Hamilton on Friday, during the meeting with Trump, Vance, and Rubio in the Oval Office, Zelensky criticized European governments and past U.S. administrations for their failure to “stop” Russian President Vladimir Putin after his annexation and occupation of Crimea in 2014. Zelensky’s criticism came after Vance suggested “engaging in diplomacy” as the “path to peace.”
“What kind of diplomacy, JD, are you talking about? What do you mean?” Zelensky questioned.
“I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country,” Vance responded.
When Zelensky tried to dismiss Vance’s idea of diplomacy, Vance responded, saying that it was “disrespectful” for Zelensky to “come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.”
“With respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media,” Vance said. “Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict.”
Zelensky went on to question if Vance had visited Ukraine and disputed Vance’s claim about Ukraine’s conscription “problems,” asserting that during war, “everybody has problems.”
“First of all, during the war, everybody has problems,” Zelensky said. “Even you — but you have nice ocean, and don’t feel now, but you will feel it in the future.”
“You don’t know that, you don’t know that,” Trump said. “Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem, don’t tell us what we’re going to feel because you’re in no position to dictate that. You’re in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel.”
Trump also reminded Zelensky that the U.S. has been assisting Ukraine with military and financial aid after Zelensky implied that Ukrainians had been “alone” in the war against Russia.
“You haven’t been alone. We gave you, through [our] stupid president, $350 billion,” Trump said. “We gave you military equipment. … If you didn’t have our military equipment, this war would’ve been over in two weeks.”
After the meeting, the White House confirmed that Zelensky had been asked to leave and had not signed a minerals deal.
Following the meeting, Trump issued a statement, asserting that Zelensky is “not ready for peace if America is involved,” adding that Zelensky had “disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office.”
{Matzav.com}