The Ukrainian gratitude that JD Vance has apparently failed to notice [View all]

[LetMyPeopleVote]

The vice president suggested that Volodymyr Zelenskyy has never thanked the United States for its support. That’s demonstrably ridiculous.

The Ukrainian gratitude that embarrassing, ignorant white supremacist JD Vance (I don't know her) has apparently failed to notice www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo... via @msnbc

— Lesley Abravanel🥂🪩 (@lesleyabravanel.bsky.social) 2025-02-28T21:15:51.881Z

The Ukrainian gratitude that embarrassing, ignorant white supremacist JD Vance (I don't know her) has apparently failed to notice

Link to tweet

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/ukrainian-gratitude-jd-vance-apparently-failed-notice-rcna194285

The vice president also asked Zelenskyy: “Have you ever said ‘thank you’ once?” President Donald Trump added around the same time, “You have to be thankful.”

As NBC News reported, Zelenskyy thanked the United States repeatedly in his speech before a joint meeting of Congress in December 2022, when he delivered a passionate appeal for more American aid.

“Thank you so much. Thank you so much for that. Thank you. It’s too much for me. All this for our great people. Thank you so much,” Zelenskyy said. “Dear Americans, in all states, cities and communities, all those who value freedom and justice, who cherish it as strongly as we Ukrainians in our cities, in each and every family, I hope my words of respect and gratitude resonate in each American heart.”

Those remarks were not at all unusual. I spent roughly 20 seconds on the Ukrainian leader’s social media feed, and I found an avalanche of instances in which Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to the United States and the American public. It happened over and over and over and over and over and over again.

Indeed, after the Oval Office fiasco, the Ukrainian president again wrote online, “Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.”

It’s difficult to speculate about Vance’s motivations. Maybe the vice president hasn’t kept up with messaging on Kyiv. Maybe he thought he’d take a cheap shot at a U.S. ally based on nothing but ignorance. I’m not in a position to say.

But to answer Vance’s question — “Have you ever said ‘thank you’ once?” — the Ukrainian leader has said “thank you” far more than once.