Aaron Wright (he/him)

For those of you listening to these clips without any context and thinking that Zelensky did anything wrong, here’s the context you’re missing: 0:00 - 0:25 – Zelensky starts off by explaining to Vance that, no, he can’t just sign a ceasefire agreement with Putin like Ukraine has done in the past—because Putin has repeatedly broken those agreements. Putin previously promised not to invade Ukraine and to release prisoners, yet he never released the prisoners and, of course, went on to invade Ukraine. For Vance to be so naïve as to think that another signature from Putin would mean anything is purely ignorant. 0:25 - 0:38 – Vance claims Zelensky is being “disrespectful” for simply explaining why he can’t trust Putin’s word. He says it’s "disrespectful" for Zelensky to "come to the Oval Office to litigate" the matter publicly. What else is he supposed to do? Just nod along and accept a deal that would set Ukraine up for failure? 0:41 - 0:46 – Vance tells Zelensky he should be thanking the President. Let’s be clear—Zelensky has already thanked Trump multiple times over the past 40 days, even after Trump blatantly lied and claimed that Ukraine started the war. So let’s talk about actual disrespect—who exactly is the one being disrespectful here? 1:03 - 1:10 – Vance accuses Zelensky of coming to the Oval Office to attack the Trump administration. But there was no attack. Zelensky was simply explaining why Trump’s idea of signing a flimsy, unenforceable deal with Russia makes no sense, given that Putin has broken almost every agreement he has ever signed. That’s not an attack on Trump—it’s a reality check. 1:15 - 1:34 – Zelensky explains that during a war, "everybody has problems, even you." Trump loses it, snapping back, "You don’t know that. Don’t tell us what we are going to feel." But let’s be real—America has absolutely felt the effects of this war. Higher gas prices Increased inflation Over $100 billion in U.S. aid sent to Ukraine Political infighting over the war More U.S. troops stationed in Europe Depleting U.S. weapons stockpiles Zelensky is 100% right—but for some reason, Trump completely lost it and is now trying to paint Zelensky as the disrespectful one? This was pure theater. It was a staged act by Trump to vilify Zelensky. The only real disrespect in that room was directed at Zelensky himself.