Some Republicans outside leadership roles are voicing their displeasure with the United States siding with authoritarian countries in a United Nations vote condemning Russia for invading Ukraine.
On Monday, the United States voted alongside Russia, North Korea, Nicaragua, and other authoritarian nations that are friendly with Moscow in voting “no” to condemn Russia for the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The vote came as President Donald Trump has seemingly turned on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, called him a dictator, and falsely claimed Ukraine started the war.
Some Republicans voiced their concerns regarding this vote as Trump moves the United States away from a decadeslong alliance with Europe and closer to reopening relations with Russia.
“The Trump Administration royally screwed up today on Ukraine. The vast majority of Americans stand up for independence, freedom, and free markets, and against the bully and invader,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) said in a statement.
“I was deeply troubled by the vote at the UN today, which put us on the same side as Russia and North Korea. These are not our friends. This posture is a dramatic shift from American ideals of freedom and democracy,” Sen. John Curtis (R-UT) said in a social media post. “We all want an end to the war, but it must be achieved on terms that ensure Ukraine’s sovereignty and security and that deter Putin from pursuing further territorial ambitions.”
“Three years ago, the world watched in disbelief as Vladimir Putin attempted to upend democracy in Ukraine by launching a brutal and unprovoked invasion,” Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) said. “Make no mistake – this conflict represents a battle between authoritarianism and democracy, and democracy must prevail.”
Turner, who holds a pro-Ukrainian stance, was recently removed from his post as Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee by House Speaker Mike Johnson. In April of last year, he said that some of his GOP colleagues have state Russian propaganda on the House floor in regards to the origins of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
In a lengthy social media post, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) firmly stated that Putin is a dictator and that the US should stand on the side of Ukraine.
Many Republicans previously questioned Trump’s comments towards Zelensky, where he called Zelensky a “a dictator without elections,” and his friendliness towards Putin. Ukraine has not held elections since the Russian invasion because the Ukrainian constitution forbids them during wartime.
“Putin is a war criminal who should be in jail for the rest of his life, if not executed,” Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told CNN.
US VOTES AGAINST UN RESOLUTION BLAMING RUSSIA FOR UKRAINE WAR
“What we can trust the Russians to do is to do anything to their advantage, to take temporary steps,” he added. “Vladimir Putin has violated every tenant of international law and should be indicted and prosecuted and jailed, possibly executed.”
In his social media post, Fitzpatrick added that “Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the Legitimately Elected President of Ukraine through a free and fair election. Vladimir Putin is an Unelected Dictator who imprisons his political opponents and who has never held a free and fair election.”