Playwright James Graham cannot watch full exchange of Trump, Vance and Zelensky
The meeting at the end of February saw a heated exchange between Mr Trump, Mr Vance and Mr Zelensky.
Playwright James Graham said he has not been able to watch the full clip of a heated exchange between US President Donald Trump, vice president JD Vance and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky as he finds it “impossibly upsetting”.
A blowout in the Oval Office at the end of February saw Mr Zelensky abruptly leave the White House, following an unprecedented series of exchanges.
During the meeting Mr Trump accused Mr Zelensky of “gambling with World War Three”, while Mr Zelensky warned the US would “feel it in the future” if it did not continue to support Ukraine.
“Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem,” Mr Trump hit back.
Mr Vance meanwhile accused the Ukrainian leader of being “disrespectful”, and both he and the US president claimed Mr Zelensky had not been thankful enough for US military aid.
Appearing as a guest on BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, Graham said: “I think everyone sort of recognises and appreciates whatever else there’s been, the moral clarity of the leadership at the moment, especially when that’s been absent in certain other Western leaders’ behavior.
“I find it like impossibly upsetting, the bullying that went on there, and also the very, very chilling Orwellian rewriting of basic fundamentals – who started what when in dramatic terms, like confusing the good guys with the bad guys.
“It is a very worrying moment. I think people will always, therefore, be grateful for the reasserting of our traditional values when they come. And hopefully, as Steve (Rigby) says, it will work out for the people of Ukraine.”
Graham’s production Dear England, the award-winning play about Gareth Southgate’s time as the England football manager, will embark on a nationwide tour across England later this year.
Dear England had a sell-out run at the National Theatre before it transferred to the West End in 2023, securing best new play at the Olivier Awards last year.
It will now take to the road for a 16-venue tour, kicking off in Plymouth on September 15, with stops in major cities including Newcastle, Liverpool and Birmingham, until the tour comes to a close on March 14 2026.
