Days after getting publicly reprimanded by US President Donald Trump and US Vice President JD Vance, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has indulged in a war of words with US Senator Lindsey Graham, a long time supporter of Zelenskyy. In response to Graham’s comments calling Zelenskyy “disrespectful” and that he should resign, Zelenskyy, on 3rd March, said Lindsey Graham should move to Ukraine, obtain citizenship and then his voice might hold “weight”.
“I can give him the citizenship of Ukraine. He will become a citizen of our country, and then his voice will gain weight. And I will hear him as a citizen of Ukraine on the topic of who must be the president,” Zelenskyy said.
NEW: President Zelensky says Sen. Lindsey Graham can move to Ukraine and gain citizenship if he wants his resignation call to carry "weight":
Reporter: "Senator Lindsey Graham said that perhaps you should consider resigning…"
Zelensky: "I can give him the citizenship of… pic.twitter.com/YBsDOgSOIJ
— Chris D. Jackson (@ChrisDJackson) March 2, 2025
Notably, the South Carolina Republican is a long-time Ukraine supporter but has now become a strong critic of Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his latest shenanigans.
Taking to X, Lindsey Graham responded to the Ukrainian President’s citizenship comment and said, “Unfortunately, until there is an election, no one has a voice in Ukraine.”
Unfortunately, until there is an election, no one has a voice in Ukraine. https://t.co/kLuVlRiRqw
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) March 2, 2025
It is pertinent to note that in 2015, the Ukrainian parliament passed a law which barred elections in the country during wartime. Since the war with Russia started in 2022, Ukraine has been under martial law, which bars elections during wartime. Zelenskyy has been accused of occupying office despite his tenure ending in May 2024, though since the war has not ended, he continues to lead Ukraine. The Ukrainian President has claimed that once the war ends, he will hold elections in the country.
As reported earlier, Donald Trump, who returned as the US President in January, met Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday (local time). During the meeting, Trump told Zelenskyy that Ukraine didn’t have a chance against Russia if the USA hadn’t supported them.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy tried to blame the United States administration for the current issues facing Ukraine, and the US Vice President JD Vance stepped up and told Zelenskyy off.
US Vice President accused Zelenskyy of “litigating” in front of the world’s press, criticized him for taking part in photo-ops with Democrats during the 2024 campaign, and said his remarks were “disrespectful” to the administration.
Raising his voice, Trump called the Ukrainian president “disrespectful” and told him he should be thanking the US, saying, “You don’t have the cards. You are either going to make a deal or we are out and if we are out, you will fight it out. I don’t think it’s going to be pretty,” he added.
Trump and Zelenskyy were set to sign a deal that would have created a joint US-Ukraine fund investing in extracting the country’s rare-earth mineral supply. Last Friday’s meeting was supposed to ink a deal on rare earth minerals which are used to make a variety of tech products.
Just hours after the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting which turned into a global embarrassment for the latter, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told the media outside the White House, “He either needs to resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change.”
Calling the Oval House meeting a “complete and utter disaster”, Graham asserted that Zelenskyy’s leadership has become an obstacle in effective US-Ukraine ties.
Even before the Oval House meeting, Graham had warned Zelenskyy not to indulge in heated arguments with President Trump over security agreements. “Don’t take the bait,” Graham warned, however, Zelenskyy did not heed the Republican senator’s advice and went to embarrass himself in front of Trump and Vance.
Interestingly, Lindsey Graham has been a supporter of Zelenskyy and on many occasions expressed his admiration for the Ukrainian President, however, now Graham has not only criticised Zelensky but also said he can only give advice to the Ukrainian leader and taking it or not is up to him.
I have tried very hard to maintain support for the efforts of the Ukrainian people to repel the Russian invasion and have expressed admiration for President Zelensky’s leadership during the most difficult times.
I, like so many others, can only give advice. It’s up to President…
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) March 2, 2025
“I have tried very hard to maintain support for the efforts of the Ukrainian people to repel the Russian invasion and have expressed admiration for President Zelensky’s leadership during the most difficult times. I, like so many others, can only give advice. It’s up to President Zelensky to determine whether or not to take it”, Lindsey Graham said.
