Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused US Vice President J.D. Vance of "somehow justifying" Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, his most critical comments about the senior politician since their heated conversation in the Oval Office in February, writes "Politico".
Speaking to the American news program "60 Minutes" on CBS news, Zelensky said that some officials in the US government are falling victim to Russian disinformation and pushing an "altered reality" about which side started the war.
"I believe that unfortunately the Russian narratives prevail in the United States," he said, according to a translation of his remarks by CBS. "This speaks to the enormous influence of Russia's information policy on America, on U.S. policy and American politicians."
Zelensky singled out Vance, accusing him of "somehow justifying Putin's actions."
"I tried to explain: "You can't look for something in between. There's an aggressor and there's a victim. The Russians are the aggressor, and we are the victim," he added, referring to their tense conversation at the White House in February.
During that meeting, Vance called Zelensky "disrespectful" for claiming that Moscow would not abide by the agreed ceasefire and chided him for not showing enough gratitude for American aid.
When Zelensky invited Vance to visit Ukraine to see for himself the destruction wrought by Russia, the vice president accused him of taking people on a "propaganda tour".