A shadowy conversation: how the US Vice President tried to reach Zaluzhny
25 August 2025 19:36
The Guardian reported that after a tense meeting at the White House in February this year, US Vice President J.D. Vance tried to establish contact with the then Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, Valeriy Zaluzhny, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The purpose of the conversation was allegedly to discuss an alternative to the “problematic” President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to the publication, Vance’s team tried to contact Zaluzhnyi through “various diplomatic and other channels.” However, the former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine refused to answer the phone after consulting with the chief of staff of the president of Ukraine.
A source close to Zaluzhnyi explained that it was “a demonstrative act of unity at the worst moment for Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.”
“Many of his supporters did not understand why he did it. But it was his principled position: Ukraine has been humiliated, and we must be united,” the source said.
What is known about the dispute in the White House
on February 28, 2025, during the visit of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Washington, he met with Donald Trump in the Oval Office. The atmosphere was tense: according to sources, Vance actively interfered in the conversation and repeatedly accused Zelenskyy of “ingratitude.”
- When the Ukrainian leader emphasized the need for security guarantees and Kyiv’s greater participation in international negotiations, Trump responded sharply: “You have no right to tell us what to do.”
- Zelenskyy said that the American president should visit Ukraine and see the destroyed cities with his own eyes.
- In response, Trump said: “You should be grateful. You have no cards in your hands,” recalling that the United States had allegedly provided $350 million in aid to Ukraine.
- Vance added that he had “seen everything on stories” when Zelenskiy asked him if he had ever been to Ukraine.
The argument ended on high tones, becoming one of the sharpest diplomatic incidents between Washington and Kyiv during the war.
Tense moments in Ukraine-US relations under Trump’s presidency
This is not the first time that high-level contacts have been accompanied by conflicts.
- In 2019, a scandal over a phone call between Zelenskyy and Trump, when the latter demanded “favors” in the Biden case, led to the first impeachment proceedings against the American president.
- In 2020-2021, Trump repeatedly criticized the amount of aid to Ukraine, saying that “other countries are not doing enough.”
- In 2025, after Trump’s return to power, the controversy only escalated, from delays in financial support to harsh statements about the Ukrainian leadership.
