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The United States’ top intelligence official has criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following a tense White House meeting with President Donald Trump.
Some shit you should know before you read: If you don’t follow us on Instagram (allow us to plug our insta, @realnewsnobullshit), last week’s Oval Office meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky erupted into a heated confrontation, marking a low point in US-Ukraine relations. Tensions flared when Trump bluntly told Zelensky that Ukraine must either strike a deal or risk losing US support entirely. He said, “You’re either going to make a deal, or we’re out. And if we’re out, you’ll fight it out. But you don’t have the cards.” Vice President Vance further escalated the situation, accusing Zelensky of going on “propaganda tours” instead of seriously negotiating peace, which left Zelensky visibly shocked. Zelensky said he was grateful for US support but pushed back on Trump’s ultimatum, stressing that any peace agreement must be “real and just.”
What’s going on now: In an interview on Fox News Sunday, DNI Director Tulsi Gabbard criticized Ukrainian President Zelensky, accusing him of prioritizing Ukraine’s victory over real peace and escalating tensions with President Trump. She said, “President Trump recognizes the urgent need to end this war after three long, bloody years and has proven that he is the only person that can do this.” Gabbard argued that Zelensky is unwilling to negotiate in good faith, stating, “He has said that he wants to end this war, but he will only accept an end that leads to what he views as Ukraine’s victory—even if it comes at an incredibly high cost of potentially World War III or even a nuclear war.”
She also suggested that Zelensky’s confrontational stance during the Oval Office meeting had “created a huge rift in the relationship” between the two nations.
Beyond Zelensky, Gabbard also took aim at European leaders, accusing them of undermining democracy while continuing to support Ukraine. She said, “There’s something fundamentally deeper here that shows a huge difference and divergence between the values that President Trump and Vice President Vance are fighting for… versus those of many of these European countries who are coming to Zelensky’s side as he walked out of the White House.”
Director Gabbard argued that European nations, while claiming to champion democracy, are enacting policies that contradict those values, citing examples such as restrictions on political opposition and media control. She said, “We’re seeing this in the United Kingdom. We’re seeing this in Germany. We saw it with the tossing out of the elections in Romania.”
This all comes as Russian officials have celebrated the rift between Zelensky and Trump, with Russian state-controlled media painting it as a win for the country. Former Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev claimed this was “proof that the West is fracturing in its support for Ukraine.” When asked about Russia’s reaction, Director Gabbard avoided directly addressing their statements, instead saying, “What we should pay attention to here in the United States of America is the American people, so many people across the country, celebrating the strong leadership that President Trump and Vice President Vance demonstrated in the Oval Office.”
