President Volodymyr Zelensky once again invited U.S. Vice President JD Vance to visit Ukraine during a recent phone call, Zelensky said in an interview with Time magazine published on March 24.
During a heated argument in the Oval Office on Feb. 28, Zelensky invited Vance to come to Ukraine to see the consequences of the Russian war with his own eyes. Vance responded by saying that he "had seen the stories," so he was aware of the situation on the ground.
The U.S. vice president added that he refused to visit Ukraine because the Ukrainian government allegedly organizes "propaganda tours" of Russia's destruction in the country.
"We're still waiting for you," Zelensky allegedly told Vance during one of the recent calls, but the American official did not reply.
JD Vance has repeatedly criticized Ukraine and Zelensky in the past, at times repeating Kremlin talking points. He has also said multiple times that he "doesn't care about Ukraine," including just days after the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Washington and Kyiv previously backed a broader 30-day ceasefire that would also halt ground operations, but Moscow rejected the proposal unless it included a suspension of foreign military support for Ukraine and other conditions that would weaken Kyiv's defenses.
A new round of U.S.-Russian talks on a ceasefire in Ukraine began in Riyadh on March 24. The meeting, held a day after the U.S.-Ukraine talks, is expected to focus on a ceasefire in the Black Sea and broader truce negotiations, Reuters reported.
The Kyiv Independent
