House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “interrupted and berated” President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance in their much-analyzed Oval Office meeting on Thursday.
Johnson said, “We achieve peace through strength. That was also a Reagan doctrine. So what President Trump is doing is restoring that principle. He is a strong hand return to the White House at a very perilous time on the world stage. We have to bring about an end to this war in Ukraine. Putin is the aggressor. It is an unjust war. We have been crystal clear about that but now is the time to bring it to an end. What President Trump was trying to do in the Oval Office when Zelensky acted so inappropriately, in my view, was to offer them an agreement that would be a win, win win across the board. The mineral rights agreement is a fantastic solution to bring about an end to this conflict. I would have hoped that President Zelensky would have understood that and showed some gratitude.”
He added, “I mean, look, I’ve been involved in a lot of bilateral meetings like this with heads of state and, and, and dignitaries. There’s a certain protocol to these events. But for him to act as he did was rather shocking to everyone. I mean, President Zelensky, instead of showing gratitude, he interrupted and berated his hosts at a very perilous time for his country.”
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