Michael Patrick Leahy, CEO and editor-in-chief of The Tennessee Star, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s performance at the White House last week showed he is an “ungrateful grifter punk” who is “not dealing in good faith” and “does not want peace” for his country more than three years after its war with Russia began.
On Friday, Zelensky traveled to Washington D.C. to sign a minerals deal with the U.S.; however, he left empty-handed after being ordered by President Donald Trump to depart the White House after a disastrous Oval Office meeting unfolded in front of the media.
While meeting with Zelensky inside the Oval Office, Trump said the Ukrainian President was being “disrespectful” for his pushback against the U.S., suggesting a diplomatic solution could be reached with Russia to end the war in Ukraine.
“You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have,” Trump said.
Leahy, on Monday’s edition of his talk radio show The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, suggested Zelesnky’s performance in the Oval Office was intentional, given that the meeting was being broadcast live by the American media.
“Notice what’s going on here. This is a public setting. Zelensky knows it’s a public setting. He’s talking over the president, who’s trying to make a point,” Leahy explained.
“Zelensky is not listening, and when you look at his body language, his arms are crossed, eyes shifting, and talking over exactly what Donald Trump is saying and not listening. So this is all performative theatrics. This is all performative theatrics on Zelensky’s part,” Leahy added.
Noting how Zelensky left D.C. without signing the anticipated minerals deal, Leahy said he believes the Ukrainian president did not have any intentions to sign such a deal anyway.
“This punk comes in his gym suit to the White House and says all sorts of things that are inflammatory and insulting. He’s there just to mix it up. He had no intention of signing that minerals deal,” Leahy said.
After Zelsnky left D.C. on Friday, he traveled to London, where he met with a group of over European leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who vowed to support Ukraine with “boots on the ground and planes in the air.”
Leahy likened Starmer’s commitment to providing boots on the ground in Ukraine as to what will end up being a “slaughterhouse.”
“Do you think United Kingdom people living in Britain want their sons to go in and fight this battle to die in Ukraine? You know what this reminds me of? For those of you history buffs, this reminds me of Europe before World War I, and Keir Starmer is doing his best to play David Lloyd George, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. That was a slaughterhouse. And that’s what this is,” Leahy said.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
