Vice President JD Vance didn’t hold back in his first interview after last week’s explosive Oval Office clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, making it clear that if Ukraine wants to maintain a strong relationship with the United States, it starts with serious peace negotiations.
Speaking with Sean Hannity on Monday, Vance detailed how the high-profile meeting between Trump, Zelenskyy, and himself spiraled into a heated confrontation that ended with Zelenskyy getting booted from the White House and walking away without a minerals deal. It all started when the Ukrainian leader took a combative stance, openly blaming the U.S. for failing to stop Vladimir Putin, pushing Trump and Vance to shut him down.
Vance laid out the U.S. position plainly: “President Trump has said clearly and consistently, of course, the door is open. So long as Zelenskyy is willing to seriously talk peace.” But Zelenskyy’s posture, according to Vance, was completely unserious. “You can’t come to the Oval Office and say, ‘give us security guarantees,’ while refusing to discuss what you’re willing to give up,” he said. “That’s been the Ukrainian posture.” Until Zelenskyy is ready to negotiate like an adult, Vance made it clear that Trump has no interest in wasting time.
Following the chaotic meeting, Trump took to Truth Social to say he didn’t think Zelenskyy was ready for real discussions and abruptly ended talks. Administration officials later told reporters that they had fully expected to strike a minerals deal, but Zelenskyy fumbled the opportunity by making unrealistic demands.
According to Fox News, the Trump administration presented Zelenskyy with the minerals agreement before the meeting, but the Ukrainian president reportedly grew agitated that the deal didn’t include firm U.S. security guarantees. Zelenskyy later told Fox’s Bret Baier that he wouldn’t enter into any peace deal with Russia without additional U.S. military support—a stance that only reinforced Trump’s decision to cut him off.
Vance made it clear to Hannity that the Trump administration understands Ukraine’s need for security guarantees, but that a long-term partnership with the U.S. means offering Americans something in return. “The best way for [Zelenskyy] to have those [security guarantees] is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine,” Vance said, pointing to the minerals deal as a key piece of the puzzle.
Hannity pressed Vance on whether Zelenskyy would be welcomed back if he changed course and agreed to Trump’s plan for peace. “If he called and had a serious proposal for how he was going to engage in the process… absolutely, we want to talk,” Vance responded. “But I’m not convinced Ukraine is willing to meet negotiations halfway.”
Zelenskyy’s miscalculation was so disastrous that even one of Ukraine’s biggest defenders, Senator Lindsey Graham, slammed him for wrecking U.S.-Ukraine relations, calling the damage potentially “irredeemable.” Vance drove the point home, telling Hannity, “My message to President Zelenskyy is, when you’ve lost Lindsey Graham, that means you need to come to the negotiating table and recognize Donald Trump is the only game in town.”
