Donald Trump’s attempt to bully Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House has been attacked by members of his own party.
The United States president claimed Zelensky was “disrespectful” and “gambling with WW3” in an ugly confrontation at the Oval Office last Friday. A meeting which had been hoped to pave the way for peace in Ukraine, instead ended with Zelensky being ushered out of the building.
The last 10 minutes of the nearly 45-minute meeting devolved into a tense back and forth between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Zelensky, who had urged scepticism about Russia’s commitment to diplomacy, citing Moscow’s years of broken commitments on the global stage.
It is a very different tone from the Trump administration to what has been heard previously under former President Joe Biden where Zelensky was backed to the hilt. And it appears as though Trump's approach has not gone down well with all members of his Republican Party.
Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, a moderate Republican, who has previously opposed Trump's approach, posted on X: "I am sick to my stomach as the administration appears to be walking away from our allies and embracing Putin."
While Nebraska Congressman Don Bacon said: “A bad day for America’s foreign policy. Ukraine wants independence, free markets and rule of law. It wants to be part of the West. Russia hates us and our Western values. We should be clear that we stand for freedom.”
Fellow Republican Brian Fitzpatrick, from Pennsylvania, said: “It was heartbreaking to witness the turn of events that transpired in today’s meeting regarding Ukraine’s future. It is time to put understandable emotions aside and come back to the negotiation table.” And Mike Lawler, from New York, agreed: “Diplomacy is tough and often times there are serious differences of opinion and heated exchanges behind closed doors. Having this spill out into public view was a disaster — especially for Ukraine.”
But there were, too, Republican stalwarts backing the stance from Trump. Support for Ukraine has waned among GOP congressional members in the three years since Russia invaded, and key Republicans hoped a mineral deal would revive American support for Kyiv.
However the clash at the White House saw that possibility go out of the window. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, for South Carolina, who has previously backed support for Ukraine called the meeting a “complete, utter disaster” and claimed he’s “never been more proud” of Trump. He added: “What I saw in the Oval office was disrespectful and I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelensky again.”
Secretary of state Marco Rubio also backed Trump saying: “Thank you @POTUS for standing up for America in a way that no President has ever had the courage to do before. Thank you for putting America First. America is with you!”
And House Speaker Mike Johnson, of Louisiana, also praised Trump although he did point out the war was "provoked" by Russia. He stated: “The death and destruction of the Russian-provoked war needs to stop immediately, and only our American President can put these two countries on a path to lasting peace. President Zelensky needed to acknowledge that, and accept the extraordinary mineral rights partnership proposal that President Trump put on the table. What we witnessed in the Oval Office today was an American President putting America first.”
Meanwhile, the Democrats were generally scathing of Trump's meeting with Zelensky. Senate Democrat leader Chuck Schumer, of New York, said: “Trump and Vance are doing Putin’s dirty work. Senate Democrats will never stop fighting for freedom and democracy.”
And House Democrat leader Hakeem Jeffries, of New York, said: “Today’s White House meeting with the President of Ukraine was appalling and will only serve to further embolden Vladimir Putin, a brutal dictator. The United States must not reward Russian aggression and continue to appease Putin.”