Vance says pro-Ukraine protesters ‘scared’ his daughter
US Vice President J.D. Vance has said that a group of loud pro-Ukrainian protesters accosted him on the street and frightened his daughter.
Vance angered Kiev supporters last month when he and President Donald Trump berated Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky in the Oval Office.
“Today while walking my 3 year old daughter a group of ‘Slava Ukraini’ protesters followed us around and shouted as my daughter grew increasingly anxious and scared,” Vance wrote on X on Saturday.
“I decided to speak with the protesters in the hopes that I could trade a few minutes of conversation for them leaving my toddler alone. (Nearly all of them agreed.) It was a mostly respectful conversation, but if you’re chasing a 3-year-old as part of a political protest, you’re a s**t person,” he said.
The slogan ‘Slava Ukaini’ (Glory to Ukraine) was first popularized by Ukrainian nationalists in the early 20th century and has since evolved into a patriotic chant. Some still consider the slogan controversial because it was used by the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), whose members collaborated with Nazi Germany during World War II.
It was not the first time Vance has been targeted by Ukraine supporters. Over the weekend, hundreds of people held up pro-Kiev signs on the route in Vermont that Vance and his family were expected to take on their way to go skiing.
During a heated exchange in the White House on February 28, Vance accused Zelensky of being ungrateful for the military and financial support the US has provided since 2022. Trump suspended weapons deliveries and limited intelligence sharing earlier this week after arguing that Zelensky was not receptive to his efforts to broker a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.
Trump told reporters on Friday that he believes it is more difficult to deal with Ukraine than Russia and reiterated that Ukraine does not “have the cards” to make demands during negotiations.
