A White House clash between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and President Donald Trump divided the Republicans and dimmed prospects that Congress will approve any further aid for Kyiv in its war with Russia.
Some Republicans who had long backed Ukraine blasted Zelenskiy after Friday’s exchange, in which Trump and Vice President JD Vance criticised the Ukrainian leader before the world’s media, accusing him of disrespect.
Senator Lindsey Graham asked Zelenskiy to change his tune or resign, a few hours after attending a friendly meeting between Zelenskiy and a dozen senators.
“What I saw in the Oval Office was disrespectful, and I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelenskiy again.
“He either needs to resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change,” Graham, a close Trump ally, said.
Also in a post on X, Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, who was ambassador to Japan during Trump’s first term, said the United States of America will no longer be taken for granted.
Meanwhile, as most Republicans rallied behind Trump and Vance, some joined Democrats in defending Ukraine.
New York Representative Mike Lawler, in a post on X, described the Oval Office meeting a missed opportunity for both the United States and Ukraine an agreement that would undoubtedly result in stronger economic and security cooperation.
On his part, Representative Don Bacon, a moderate Republican from Nebraska, threw his support behind Kyiv.
“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,” he said in a statement.
Recall that Zelenskiy was in Washington to sign an agreement to jointly develop Ukraine’s rich natural resources with the United States.
He had seen the meeting with Trump and Vance as an opportunity to persuade the US not to take side with Russian President Vladimir Putin in his war with Moscow’s smaller neighbor.
Instead, Zelenskiy was told to leave and the agreement was left unsigned.
