What did JD Vance say to Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office – and how do his claims stack up?

Published

3 months ago

March 2, 2025

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It was a meeting to kick off a day of joint engagements – but Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s sit-down saw White House schedules hastily redrawn.

The pair met in the Oval Office to discuss a minerals deal – which was supposed to be signed later on – and negotiations over ceasefire agreement with Russia.

It started politely enough but around 35 minutes in, the meeting took a quick and unexpected turn. Its demise was fuelled by comments from the man beside the US president: JD Vance.

Ukraine latest: Zelenskyy schedules meeting with King Charles

A long-time critic of American support for Ukraine, the vice president berated Mr Zelenskyy for airing disagreements in front of the media – and as he did so, he made a number of claims about topics including the Ukrainian military, official visits to Kyiv and Mr Zelenskyy’s political affiliations.

Here, we look at the VP’s comments and additional context surrounding them.

Ukraine is ‘forcing conscripts to the frontlines’

Tensions began to rise as Mr Vance called the Ukrainian president “disrespectful” – an accusation Mr Trump repeated as the exchange hit its most intense moments.

Mr Vance added: “Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems.

“You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict.”

His statement that Ukraine is relying on conscription is correct. With some exceptions – such as health issues – Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 are prohibited from leaving the country and anyone who reaches the age of 25 is conscripted unless they have already volunteered or are exempt.

Conscription is not unusual for armies locked in warfare. It was used by multiple countries during World War One and World War Two, and during the Vietnam War, the US government drafted men to fight via lotteries.

Russia is not using conscription to specifically recruit troops for the Ukraine war. But, with a few exceptions, all Russian men aged between 18 and 30 must complete a year of military service – and some of them have been sent to areas such as the Kursk region during the conflict.

‘Propaganda tour’

In response to the conscription comment, Mr Zelenskyy asked the VP: “Have you ever been to Ukraine that you say what problems we have?”

The answer, as Mr Zelenskyy knew, was no.

Ignoring the suggestion that he should visit, Mr Vance countered: “I’ve actually watched and seen the stories, and I know that what happens is you bring people, you bring them on a propaganda tour, Mr President.”

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, dozens of world leaders have visited the country. Among them are Joe Biden and Sir Keir Starmer, along with then British prime ministers Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.

The world’s media – including Sky News correspondents – have also reported from the frontlines.

It’s unclear why Mr Vance considers these trips “propaganda tours” but it’s a term our Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett has encountered frequently: he says it’s a phrase “one hears on Russian state media on an almost daily basis”.

‘Zelenskyy hasn’t said thank you’

Another sticking point for Mr Vance was whether Mr Zelenskyy was thankful enough for the US’s help.

“Have you said ‘thank you’ once this entire meeting?” he asked. “Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country.”

Mr Zelenskyy insisted he had done so “a lot of times, even today” and a glance back at just the past two years proves this to be true.

On X, he thanked the US and then president Mr Biden on 21 January 2022, 1 July, 2022, 19 August 2022, 20 November the following year, in March 2024 and as recently as 10 January.

He also shared thanks in person when he met Mr Biden in the Oval Office on 21 December 2022, and in speeches in Washington DC on 11 December 2023 and 10 July 2024.

Mr Zelenskyy has thanked Mr Trump since his election win in November last year. On 7 December, he labelled the then president-elect “resolute” and said: “I thank him.”

On 12 February, after a “meaningful conversation” with Mr Trump, he wrote: “I am grateful to President Trump for his interest in what we can accomplish together.”

This is a non-exhaustive list.

Zelenskyy ‘campaigned’ for the Democrats

Amid the row over a perceived lack of gratefulness, Mr Vance told Mr Zelenskyy: “You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October.”

The Ukrainian president’s reply was simply “no”.

Mr Zelenskyy did visit Pennsylvania alongside the state’s governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, in September last year, but he wasn’t on the campaign trail.

Under tight security Mr Zelenskyy visited an ammunition factory to thank workers for producing vital munitions for Ukraine’s fight against Russia.

He wrote on X afterwards: “It is in places like this where you can truly feel that the democratic world can prevail.

“Thanks to people like these – in Ukraine, in America, and in all partner countries – who work tirelessly to ensure that life is protected.”

On the same trip, he met with Mr Trump in New York.

US

Mexican navy training vessel hits New York’s Brooklyn Bridge – as reports say three injured

Published

4 hours ago

May 18, 2025

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Mexican navy training vessel hits New York's Brooklyn Bridge - as reports say three injured

A Mexican navy ship has hit the Brooklyn Bridge during a promotional tour in New York City.

The New York Fire Department said authorities were responding to injuries but had no details about how many people might have been hurt or whether they were on the vessel or on the bridge.

Sky’s US partner network NBC News reports that at least three people were seriously injured in the incident.

The Mexican navy said in a post on X that the Cuauhtemoc, an academy training vessel, was damaged in the accident, which has prevented it from continuing its voyage.

Eyewitness video of the collision posted online showed the mast of the ship, which was flying a large Mexican flag, scraping the underneath of the bridge.

The vessel then drifted toward the edge of the river as onlookers scrambled away from shore.

The Mexican navy said the status of personnel and material was under review by naval and local authorities, which were providing assistance.

The Cuauhtemoc is about 297ft long and 40ft wide, according to the Mexican navy. It sailed for the first time in 1982.

Each year, it sets out at the end of classes at the naval military school to finish cadets’ training.

It left the Mexican port of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, on 6 April with 277 people onboard, the navy said at the time.

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US

One person dead after explosion outside fertility clinic in California

Published

9 hours ago

May 17, 2025

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One person dead after explosion outside fertility clinic in California

One person has died in a bomb explosion near a reproductive health clinic in California, authorities have said.

The incident took place in Palm Springs, a city two hours east of Los Angeles, and is being investigated as a possible car explosion.

The city’s mayor Ron DeHarte said one person died in the blast, adding that the bomb was “either in or near” a vehicle. The deceased’s identity is not known, Palm Springs police said.

Dr Maher Abdallah, who runs the American Reproductive Centers clinic, told the Associated Press his facility was damaged but all staff were safe and accounted for.

The explosion damaged the office space where the practice conducts patient consultations, but the IVF lab and stored embryos were unharmed, he added.

“I really have no clue what happened,” he said. “Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients.”

In a statement posted on Facebook the clinic said it was “heartbroken” to learn someone died in the explosion and added: “Our deepest condolences go out to the individuals and families affected.”

It continued: “Our mission has always been to help build families, and in times like these, we are reminded of just how fragile and precious life is.

“In the face of this tragedy, we remain committed to creating hope – because we believe that healing begins with community, compassion, and care.

The clinic will be fully operational on Monday, it added.

“This moment has shaken us – but it has not stopped us. We will continue to serve with strength, love, and the hope that brings new life into the world,” the statement concluded.

The Palm Springs city government said in a post on Facebook that the explosion happened on North Indian Canyon Drive, near East Tachevah Drive, before 11am local time (6pm GMT).

A burned-out car can be seen in a parking lot behind the building in aerial footage.

The blast caved in the clinic’s roof and blew debris across four lanes of the road.

Another person said he was inside a cannabis dispensary nearby when he felt a massive explosion.

Nima Tabrizi said: “The building just shook, and we go outside and there’s massive cloud smoke.”

Investigators from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are travelling to the scene to help assess what happened.

California governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the explosion, his press office said.

US

James Comey: Trump says ex-FBI director’s seashells post ‘meant assassination’

Published

16 hours ago

May 17, 2025

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James Comey: Trump says ex-FBI director's seashells post 'meant assassination'

A former FBI director has been interviewed by the US Secret Service over a social media post that Republicans say was a call for violence against President Donald Trump.

James Comey, who led the FBI from 2013 until he was fired in 2017 by Mr Trump during his first term in office, shared a photo of seashells appearing to form the numbers “86 47”.

He captioned the Instagram post: “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.”

Some have interpreted the post as a threat, alleging that 86 47 means to violently remove Mr Trump from office, including by assassination.

What does ’86 47′ mean?

The number 86 can be used as a verb in the US. It commonly means “to throw somebody out of a bar for being drunk or disorderly”.

One recent meaning of the term is “to kill”, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, which said it had not adopted this meaning of 86 “due to its relative recency and sparseness of use”.

The number has previously been used in a political context by Matt Gaetz, who was President Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general but withdrew from consideration following a series of sexual misconduct allegations.

Mr Gaetz wrote: “We’ve now 86’d…” and listed political opponents he had sparred with who ended up stepping down.

Meanwhile, 47 is supposedly representing Mr Trump, who is the 47th US president.

Mr Comey later removed the post, saying he thought the numbers “were a political message” and that he was not aware that the numeric arrangement could be associated with violence.

“I didn’t realise some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind, so I took the post down,” Mr Comey said.

Mr Trump rejected the former FBI director’s explanation, telling Fox News: “He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant… that meant assassination.”

Donald Trump Jr accused Mr Comey of “casually calling for my dad to be murdered”.

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed in a post on X that Mr Comey had been interviewed as part of “an ongoing investigation” but gave no indication of whether he might face further action.

The Secret Service is part of the Department of Homeland Security.

White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich said Mr Comey had put out “what can clearly be interpreted as a hit on the sitting president of the United States”.

“This is deeply concerning to all of us and is being taken seriously,” Mr Budowich wrote on X.

Another White House official James Blair said the post was a “Clarion Call (…) to terrorists & hostile regimes to kill the President of the United States as he travels in the Middle East”.

Mr Trump fired Mr Comey in May 2017 for botching an investigation into 2016 democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, the White House said at the time.

While Mr Comey was the director of the FBI, the agency opened an investigation into possible collusion between the Trump 2016 presidential campaign and Russia to help get Mr Trump elected.