Protests broke out across the United States on Saturday after a heated exchange between former President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a White House meeting on Friday.
The altercation sparked large demonstrations in cities including Waitsfield, Vermont, New York City, Los Angeles, and Boston, with protesters expressing support for Ukraine and condemning Trump and Vance’s actions. Initially, these protests were planned around Vance’s Vermont ski trip, but tensions from the earlier Oval Office encounter prompted wider participation.
In Vermont, activists, including members of the group Indivisible, carried signs like “Vermont stands with Ukraine” and “International embarrassment,” while waving Ukrainian flags in solidarity. One protester, Cori Giroux, told Vermont Public Radio, “After what he did yesterday, he crossed the line.”
Despite a call for respect from Republican Governor Phil Scott, who urged Vermonters to be courteous toward Vance, the protest continued. Vance, who had never visited Ukraine, reportedly fled to an undisclosed location to avoid the demonstrators.
The clash in the Oval Office centered around Trump’s suggestion that Zelenskyy should consider a ceasefire with Russia or risk losing US support. Trump also criticized Zelenskyy for not expressing enough gratitude for US military aid and warned that Ukraine’s actions could escalate into “World War III.”
Zelenskyy, steadfast in his position, rejected the ceasefire idea, citing Russia’s repeated violations of previous agreements. He emphasized that Ukraine could not accept such terms without security guarantees.
The encounter drew widespread condemnation from international leaders, including officials from the EU, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. US lawmakers, such as Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, criticized the meeting as an “ambush” and voiced their support for Ukraine.
Protests continued in major US cities, with demonstrators in New York City filling Times Square draped in Ukrainian flags. In Los Angeles, a pro-Ukraine rally took place outside a SpaceX facility. In Boston, the group Boston Supports Ukraine called for “fair peace” and security guarantees for Ukraine as the war nears its second year.
