Senator Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), a staunch proponent of Ukraine, criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday for refusing to hold a presidential election amid the embattled country’s war with Russia.
Ukraine was set to hold a presidential election last year and a parliamentary election in 2023, but because the nation is under martial law and much of the country’s territory is inaccessible due to fighting, both were postponed. Ukraine’s elections are expected to resume after the war ends through a peace agreement that the U.S. is trying to broker.
“Unfortunately, until there is an election, no one has a voice in Ukraine,” Graham posted on X in response to a clip in which Zelensky rebuffed the senator’s calls to resign.
While he recognizes Graham as a strong ally of Ukraine and a “very good guy,” Zelensky scolded the South Carolina Republican for weighing in on domestic Ukrainian affairs, saying that if Graham becomes a Ukrainian citizen “then his voice will start to gain weight.” Zelensky previously said it would be difficult to hold elections as long as Russian forces occupy Ukrainian territory.
The comments come days after Zelensky met with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance in a meeting that became unexpectedly tense after the Ukrainian leader was accused of being disrespectful and unthankful toward the U.S.
“You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people! You’re gambling with World War III!” Trump told Zelensky, as the two sat next to each other in the Oval Office.
“Have you said ‘thank you’ once?” Vance chimed in. “You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October. Offer some words of appreciation for the Unites States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country.
The meeting ended without a finalized joint agreement, which had been negotiated in advance, that would give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. In return, Zelensky demanded security guarantees from the Trump administration to thwart future Russian aggression should it arise. Trump kicked his guest out of the White House before the deal could be signed.
Despite his previous rejections of the agreement, Zelensky said he is ready to sign the minerals deal to pursue lasting peace with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Before Friday’s setback, tensions were already high between the U.S. and Ukraine after Trump called Zelensky a “dictator without elections.” Trump later asked himself, “Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that.”
On Friday, Graham urged Zelensky to apologize for his part in the outburst and urged him to step down as Ukrainian president. In an interview with Fox News host Bret Baier hours later, Zelensky offered a meek apology and rejected the suggestion to resign. He said that decision should be left to the people of Ukraine.
The foreign leader has also said he will resign in exchange for Ukraine getting NATO membership, a military alliance that Russia wholly opposes.
Graham’s criticism of Zelensky was surprising, considering he has been an ardent supporter of Ukraine ever since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. But after the disastrous Oval Office meeting, the South Carolina Republican put his full support behind the Trump administration’s efforts to mediate peace.
“I have tried very hard to maintain support for the efforts of the Ukrainian people to repel the Russian invasion and have expressed admiration for President Zelensky’s leadership during the most difficult times,” Graham posted on X.
“I, like so many others, can only give advice. It’s up to President Zelensky to determine whether or not to take it.”
The fate of a potential peace agreement for the three-year war remains uncertain after the intense Oval Office exchange. While its diplomatic relations with the U.S. are left in doubt, Ukraine is deliberating with European nations to get support. On Sunday, the U.K., France, and Ukraine agreed to present a cease-fire plan to the U.S. ahead of the European Union’s emergency summit on the war this week.
Meanwhile, Trump is unsure whether Zelensky actually wants peace after his antagonistic behavior in the White House. “That was not a man that wanted to make peace,” Trump told reporters on Friday, “and I’m only interested if he wants to end the bloodshed.”