LONDON, August 25. /TASS/. Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Valery Zaluzhny refused to take a phone call from US Vice President JD Vance after the White House blow-up between US President Donald Trump and Vladimir Zelensky in February, the Guardian reported, citing sources.

The paper notes that after the Oval Office incident, JD Vance’s team apparently wanted to contact potential Ukrainian presidential candidates.

According to the Guardian, "Vance’s team tried various diplomatic and other channels to get through to Zaluzhny" but the Ukrainian envoy refused to take the call after consultation with Zelensky’s chief of staff Andrey Yermak.

The Guardian points out that the episode was reflective of Zaluzhny’s "political tightrope." On the one hand, "Zaluzhny remains loyal to the government he serves. On the other, many - both at home and abroad - see him as Ukraine’s natural next president, and are pushing him to launch a political campaign."

On February 28, Zelensky arrived at the White House for a meeting with Trump. Their conversation, with reporters present, unraveled into a shouting match, with Trump scolding Zelensky for being disrespectful to the US, and Vance noting that Zelensky had not ever said a "thank you" for the support provided to Kiev. A news conference scheduled to follow the meeting was canceled. Later, Trump posted a statement on the Truth Social platform saying that Zelensky was disrespectful and not ready for peace.