Watch: Zelenskyy Appears to Quietly Curse JD Vance During White House Meeting

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the leaders of the country that is essentially — let’s be realistic — bankrolling their war against Russia.

It ended with these words from U.S. President Donald Trump: “This is going to be great television. I will say that.”

That it was, unless you were a Ukrainian partisan who believes the war ought to continue without end and without recompense from Kyiv for the endless airdrops of military aid being provided to it. He went to Washington in his military gear Friday determined to get that — although a minerals deal was supposed to be on the table.

After he was booted from the White House following the tense exchange, that deal wasn’t signed — but not before Zelenskyy decided to tell off the Americans in front of the cameras by uttering a Russo-Ukrainian vulgarity that translates, literally, as “f***ing b****,” “b****-s***,” or “b****-w****,” depending on what source you consult.

So yeah, things went fantastically.

Actually, going through most of the Oval Office presser, it was pretty much pro forma until Trump said he’d take just one more question. And, just like those episodes of “Colombo” where Peter Falk would ask for just one more question, it all pretty much unraveled from there.

During the answer, Vice President J.D. Vance said that “the path to peace and the path to prosperity is, maybe, engaging in diplomacy” and not “thumping our chest” like the Biden administration did.

This triggered Zelenskyy, who said Putin had broken a ceasefire in the past, and asked, “What kind of diplomacy, J.D., you are speaking about? What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country. Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media,” Vance said.

“Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict.”

This forcing of conscripts, by the way, is accurate, including reports of the military there basically kidnapping people who should be exempt from service — and Zelenskyy didn’t deny it, merely asking if he had “ever been to Ukraine, that you say what problems we have? Come once.”

Vance was having none of this, saying that “I know that what happens is you bring people, you bring them on a propaganda tour, Mr. President,” and asked him again if he was having problems with his military.

“We have problems-” he answered, before Vance cut him off.

“And do you think that is respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?” Vance asked.

“A lot of questions. Let’s start from the beginning,” Zelenskyy said, something Vance agreed to. It didn’t go much better from there on out.

.@VP: “Do you think that it’s respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?”@POTUS: “You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards … You’re… pic.twitter.com/iTYyAmfuCJ

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 28, 2025

However, as many people noted, as Vance was talking about the “propaganda tour,” Zelenskyy appeared to say something under his breath — something many on social media identified as the words “cyka blyat.”

Most people don’t realize that Zelenskyy actually cursed while arguing with @VP – “CYKA BLYAT” – see it here: pic.twitter.com/qASGK0WxHV

— Pinnacle Quant (@Pinnacle_Quant) February 28, 2025

He may have said “cyka blyat” pic.twitter.com/4wHW6mtfuq

— Kashadoo (Punished Ukrainian) 🇺🇦 (@kashadoo_tankie) February 28, 2025

Cyka blyat pic.twitter.com/H2B1kz1Cjz

— POPULAR FRONT (@PopularFront_) February 28, 2025

According to a 2018 Dictionary.com explication of the term “cyka blyat”– which is what he appears to have said, and is used by both Ukrainians and Russians — there’s not a literal translation, although it’s something you wouldn’t use in front of your mother were you in that part of the world.

The vulgarity, which rose to popularity in online gaming culture (so seldom a good sign when you’re a world leader uttering it during a media briefing gone horribly wrong), is basically “roughly equivalent to the English “f***ing s***” or “b**** w****.” There are other potential definitions (duly asterisked above), but the point is that this usually isn’t what you trot out to media briefings. And, while it’s entirely possible this isn’t what he said, the reaction on social media from the Ukrainosphere seems to be that, yeah, this is definitely what he uttered.

If that’s wrong — well, it’s hardly the worst moment of this press briefing, anyway.

Commentators often accuse President Trump of being unserious. Those same commentators have also developed, for the most part, a cult of personality around Zelenskyy, who gets described as a Ukrainian Churchill in a military get-up.

But, he uses dirty gamer slang as the U.S. president and vice president while “gambling with World War III,” as Trump pointed out — and somehow, the confrontation becomes our president’s fault. Whatever. Joe Biden’s long game in Ukraine hasn’t paid dividends and the current administration isn’t going to pretend that it did, or that peace as soon as possible with as strong a hand as possible isn’t everyone’s best option, no matter what the spin might be. Good.

The two sides adjourned and, according to The Wall Street Journal, the remainder of the day’s events with the Ukrainian president were called off; as the outlet noted, most of the substantive stuff happens after these remarks, which means this was a serious whammy for the Ukrainian contingent.

Trump put out a statement saying he had “determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations … He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”

And when he can learn to keep his language a little cleaner, one hopes.

Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.