Nate Vance, a cousin of US vice-president JD Vance, has criticised his family member for “belittling” Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
A few weeks ago, Zelensky, Vance, and US President Donald Trump held a televised meeting in the White House which soon turned heated, with both sides being accused of hostility to each other and a lack of diplomatic decorum.
Nate Vance, who had volunteered for the Ukrainian armed forces after the Russian invasion of the country, reportedly told the BBC he was disappointed by his cousin’s behaviour.
“I’m kind of attached to the Ukrainian issue but, looking at that: if it were some other completely neutral issue and I saw White House officials and hack journalists that are political belittling a foreign leader, I’d be like, ‘what the hell is going on?’ ” Vance reportedly told the BBC.
Since the meeting between the Ukrainian and American leaders, the US has stopped intelligence-sharing with Kiev, as well as stopping military aid.