'JD Vance is a piece of sh*t' | Adam Boulton tears into Trump's explosive row with Zelensky

I apologize in advance uh to 's radio listeners I said that JD Vance was a piece of and um I think that that will be uh the impression of the rest of the world well we are covering the extraordinary scenes coming out of the white house this afternoon historic Clash it wasn't even a press conference because we have just been told that that press conference that was planned between Donald Trump and Vladimir zinski has been cancelled Donald Trump has effectively shown Vladimir zalinski the door uh so it it became very very heated in that exchange

we're going to just recap what has happened in the last hour in some of the most astonishing moments that I've ever witnessed between two world leaders Donald Trump has posted on Truth social that President zalinski isn't ready for peace and can come back when he is he's also accused him of disrespecting the US in the cherished Oval Office let's have a reminder of how the dramatic meeting unfolded over an hour ago the exchange began to get heated When Vladimir zinski interjected whilst the vice president was speaking I I would respond to this so look for

four years the United States of America we had a president who stood up at press conferences and talked tough about Vladimir Putin and then Putin invaded Ukraine and destroyed a significant chunk of the country the path to peace and the path to Prosperity is maybe engaging in diplomacy we tried the pathway of Joe Biden of thumping our chest and pretending that the president of the United States's words mattered more than the president of the United States's actions what makes America a good country is America engaging in diplomacy that's what president Trump is doing can I

ask you sure yeah yeah okay so he occupied uh our parts big parts of Ukraine part of East and Crimea uh so he occupied it on 2014 so during a lot of years I'm not speaking about just Biden but those time was Obama then President Obama then president Trump then President Biden now president Trump and God bless now president Trump will stop him but during 2014 nobody stopped him he just occupied and took he killed people you know what the contact are 2015 2014 2014 and4 so I was not here yeah that's exactly right yes

but dur 2014 till 2022 you the what the situation the same that people have been dying on the contact line nobody stopped from there it only got more uncomfortable and what you're doing is very dis disrespectful to the country this country that's back to you far more than a lot of people said they should have have you said thank you once this entire meeting no in this entire meeting that you said thank you you went to Pennsylvania in campaign for the opposition in October offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and

the president who's trying to save your country and this after president zalinski warned of the war coming to the West don't tell us what we're going to feel we're trying to solve a problem don't tell us what we're going to feel I'm not telling you because you're in no position to dictate that you're in no position to dictate what we're going to feel we're going to feel very good influ we're going to feel very good and very strong you will feel influen you're right now not in a very good position you've allowed yourself to be

in a very bad position and he happens to be right about from the very beginning of the war you're not in a good position you don't have the cards right now with us you start having cards right now you don't you're playing csing you're gambling with the lives of millions of people you're gambling with World War II you're gambling with World War I well let's continue discussing those unprecedented scenes coming from the white house now with Tim Marshall Foreign Affairs expert and author of Prisons of geography Jim Townsend former deputy assistant secretary of defense for

Europe and NATO and Alexander mesco and MP in Vladimir zelinsky's party and the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Ukrainian Parliament good evening to all three of you Alexander let me start with you when you were watching that encounter what did you think think well it was unusual to put it very mildly I couldn't believe my ears but you know the hher Guide to the Galaxy teaches us don't panic so I I hope that behind the closed doors the situation will be more calm and more constructive well except Donald Trump has cancelled the

press conference and effectively shown vadir ziny the door well um again uh I'm proud of my president that he stands up uh for uh he is able to defend our values in our country because you know right now he's a voice of uh defined country fighting against Russian aggression for the third year and and we're entering the fourth year of brutal War but you know he's the voice of of all ukrainians and I'm proud that uh he manages he has Gods to defend us even in front of the most powerful person on Earth which is

president Trump right now and I think we're just about to see him leaving the White House now yes he has left the White House he's got into a car vomir zalinsky has left without doing that promised press conference uh that was really a very short encounter after that testy exchange that has I think it's fair to say shocked the world um um Alexander just before I bring in our other guests is there an agenda here that Donald Trump and his team they want to get zinski out and put someone more amenable in place is that

what's at stake here no absolutely not because uh the recent statements made by President Trump with regard to our president uh had only this effect they boosted uh the popularity of our president in Ukraine uh because for us he's a symbol of our resistance and it had no effect because you know I don't see any reason uh to to remove our president from power as a commander-in chief as a very popular president as a symbol of our hope and resistance Jim town and let me bring in you here former deputy assistant secretary of defense for

Europe and NATO um Jim it was an extraordinary display um it looked like the two powerful men in the room hectoring and bullying the junior what did you make of it well it was like a barroom brawl I just uh you know it was it was it was uh brutal quite brutal it was shocking but I think it was brutal in the sense that uh for all the public to see we saw these two heads of state uh battling each other with fists verbal fists and we're not used to seeing that one thing that Trump

said was um I think the American people the public should see this and that's why I'm letting this photographic opportunity go on so that everyone can see this and I so in a lot of ways this with theater too you you know he was uh raising his voice and he was uh JD Vance piling on this wrestling match this scrum uh some of it was theater for the public to see how tough they are well is is is that the point that it was a calculated premeditated sort of Ambush by the president and his Deputy

of the uh Ukrainian president well you know it certainly felt like it didn't it uh I I'm I'm GNA watch it again with that in mind but uh they were ready they were ready for this uh JB Vance particularly I mean usually the vice president sits there and doesn't jump in and pile on the way JD Vance did in a rude way frankly you know zalinski Rose to the Rose to the bait uh excuse me should he not have risen to the bait yeah uh I I think everyone's different I would not have risen to

the bait because it just makes it worse but country isn't losing its people you know every night in danger well I think a between rising to the bait uh uh and uh and and beginning a spectacle and defending yourself and I think I think he was trying to defend himself but with Donald Trump I think you have to be very it's like handling a bomb you know you gotta be very careful might say why should you deal with him like that you know why why should people do what K starm and Emanuel macron did you

know the bonamy the the backs slapping and the kind of you know they don't really think that do they well you know it's a it's an important point and I think what I see here in Washington talking to many Europeans coming through they ask how do we deal with Trump and they all want to gain the plan you have a game plan for dealing with him and I think M roll and kir dmer had their approach I think zinski went in there and I think like you said he's under pressure so he did uh engage

in in a debate but I think uh with Donald Trump that it's it's like wrestling with pigs you know uh the pigs love it and you just get dirty that's such a metaphor let me bring in Tim Marshall now foreign affairs expert author of Prisons of geography Tim where on Earth does this leave America Ukraine Europe the UK the world I think it leaves America's reputation uh significantly lowered and I say that as a supporter of the United States I say that as someone who believes that President Trump has got very many valid points when

he criticizes the Europeans I I wrote a big essay in the Sunday Times this weekend saying just that that you know we have been backsliders we have been weak we haven't stood up for ourselves but this was a premeditated gangster-like Ambush it was low blows it was low it was clearly deliberate the scene was set even before that uh the bits you've played Kathy I think it was one of the tame journalists that they've got into the White House Now who said to the zalinsky hey why are you wearing that have you have you even

got a suit they were goding him and then in comes JD Vance who knows better than to to to to take control when the big man's in the room so clearly he knows what he's doing absolutely insults the president of Ukraine he I believe he had to stand up for himself I don't think zelinsky could have gone home being utterly humiliated I don't think he was I don't think he would survive as a political leader if he had not stood up for himself because he is the representative of Ukraine but is that it was disgusting

is that the agenda that the White House wants to get him out and and and do you think that might work I mean how do you think things will Shape Up in terms of the EU for example well I mean I've got a lot of people messaging in saying uh K starm now now needs to cancel that state visit well he won't um because that's Britain in 's National interest but I go back to this idea of an ambush um and and also what Jim just said uh I I I wrote the words down when

I heard Trump say them I think it's very important for the American people to see what's going on that's why I kept this going for so long and then he ended the press conference this is going to be great television it was absolutely deliberate designed to humiliate zalinski um because you could either humiliate him without him pushing back back in which case he's completely mascul and and I think his term in office would come to an end fairly soon or he stands up for himself in which case they get to bully him even more the

macron stama loving I think will help France and uh Britain sorry you asked me where it goes from here I'm at a bit of a loss I mean and I thought it was interesting when you just announced that the press conferences have have been cancelled CU it would have gone on again then um and look how short the meeting was was it was it an hour I think yeah I think uh starma had a couple of hours they clearly have not agreed and he's left and they're going to get a deal imposed upon them which

is going to be very hard for them to uh accept I I think the chanceries of Europe tonight will like Oxana marova who if you see the footage which you have Kathy you'll see a woman woman in the front row she's got her head in her hands and she's almost crying that's the Ukrainian ambassador to America she realizes what's going on in front of them well Alexander maresco MP in Vladimir zelinsky's party chair of the Foreign Affairs committee I've got to ask you is Donald Trump a Russian asset I hope not I hope not but

the truth is that we don't have any other American president we have to live with we have to deal with with Mr Trump as American president and Our Fate dependent on the American military aid to Ukraine we can survive um due to American Aid and we're grateful for the fact that the United States has saved us several times but you know for us Trump is both uh Challenge and opportunity and we have no right to be pessimistic you have to continue to deal with him to persuade him no matter how tough how difficult it is

because he's our reality objective reality but luckily we have friends we have K starmer who will come uh tomorrow if I'm not mistaken and we'll also speak on behalf of Ukraine we have our President macron we have other European leaders who will gather together 10 of them at the summit so we have friends we are not alone very good to hear Alexander Mesko thank you very much for joining us I'll let you go I'm sure you've got many any other demands on your time now but thank you very much for joining us on times radio

Tim Marshall Foreign Affairs expert author of The prisons of geography and Jim townend former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Europe and NATO remain with me um Jim townend first I mean the US wanted to get its hands on Ukraine's minerals that deal has not been signed it was going to be a memorandum of understanding it has not been signed and zinski has now left the White House um do you think think though nevertheless that Donald Trump will be very pleased with how this went as as Tim was saying you know this was made for

television and he'll think this was a job well done well I think T is right uh you know I'll I'll uh I'll sharpen my earlier response and say yeah this it certainly had the ear marks of being a setup uh and I think frankly uh I think Trump will come away and feel pretty good about this I mean yes he wants the minerals yes he he wants the the framework agreement signed I think it eventually will be signed but he loves good television and he loves to throw red meat uh to his followers and this

is just a great example of that I mentioned I called it theater and uh earlier and it is theater it's theater for television he's gonna come out looking like a tough guy uh Putin's gonna love it I bet Putin sends him a little note saying you look great out there I mean this this is something where you know Trump is uh is is going to be gaining from this uh even even more than signing a uh a minerals agreement that a lot of people probably aren't focused on right this the the film is enough and

they'll love it I'd like to bring in also Adam Bolton presenter of Sunday morning on times radio good evening to you all thank you very much for staying with us Adam your response on Twitter was piy what did you make of what we've just seen well I said and I think I'm allowed to say this I apologize in advance to 's radio listeners I said that JD Vance was a piece of and um I think that that will be uh the impression of the rest of the world I saw your uh previous interview e saying

that this will play well in the United States uh I think to the rest of the world uh there will be shock and confirmation of their worst suspicions about the new Administration um it's you know at the very least uh you know I've been in the Oval Office many times with visiting British prime ministers uh they have never been treated like that by any of the previous and indeed they weren't this is no way to treat the elected leader of a Nation at War uh and which the United States is supposed uh to still be

in Alliance with Adam just briefly there's a lot of people messaging in saying K dmer should cancel that state visit um in sympathy and solidarity with Vladimir zinski what do you think well I I think he would be ill advised to rush ahead with it and I think that's going to be next year of course you know the UK like France is in this position where it wishes to maintain an alliance um I I've always thought that uh perhaps the UK has gone a little bit too far uh in terms of uh trying to suck

up and and and molate Donald Trump I mean you know it's quite remarkable that there is someone who is so you know pural that he responds to flattery in that way I think much more important really of what we've seen now is where it leaves uh the Ukraine conflict um yeah had that statement from Trump you know come back when you want peace uh we had very clear statements from zalinski that you know it wasn't peace at any price that uh Ukraine would fight on if it had to and I think probably the Fallout of

all of this uh is simply going to be that Us's voice is not going to be listened to in in this process and that it will be up to the Europeans uh to um Step Up yeah and Tim Tim Marshall let me bring you back in at this point because the European leaders are meeting at K St is hosting them with Vladimir zelinski how on Earth should they react to this now do you think well I think I think it's proof that they need to make a choice a choice that they don't want to make

I mean I think the the way ahead if you think it's doable is to bate this man whilst you try to build your defenses because you should be doing that anyway and then you hang on for four years still in with an intact NATO but it's this sort of behavior that is going to make that even more difficult and it will provide some impetus to this idea of the Europeans getting finally getting their act together Adam mentioned um Trump's comments and I think it's worth passing what he said here because I think we can read

things into it he said zilinski is not ready for peace if America is involved because he feels our involvement gives him a big Advantage um I don't want that Advantage I want peace and then this is the bit for me he disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office and then as Adam said he can come back when he's ready for peace the guy's out the door as you said he's been shown the door being booted out of it and and that therefore gives the the Europeans tomorrow some really difficult discussions because

if the Americans are not going to be dealing with the ukrainians and and they're and they're going to try and impose this deal um via the Russians what are the Europeans going to do about it the CH of Europe are going are in Shock tonight and the will be buzzing exactly well we must end it there but Tim Marshall Jim towns and Adam Bolton after an frankly unbelievable scenes coming from the White House we'll see how that plays out over the weekend how Europe responds thank you for listening