An Alaska Republican said Trump appears to “remove from our allies and embrace Putin” after spats with Zelensky.
Sen. Lisa Markowski (R-Araska) criticized President Donald Trump and his administration for his handling of US-Ukrainian relations after a February 28 oval office meeting with Ukrainian President Voldimia Zelenki.
Other Republican lawmakers stood by Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance following the White House Spat, Markovsky went to the X Social Media Platform on March 1 to order criticism of the Trump administration.
Trump presented a contract for Ukrainian natural resources as an opportunity to recoup some of the costs from supporting Ukraine in the ongoing war with Russia, but Zelensky tried to reach an agreement with additional security assurances and support measures from Washington. As Trump, Vance and Zelensky sat in the engagement of an oval office press prior to signing the contract, Zelensky repeated calls for US security assurances and expressed his intention to compromise to arrive at a wider peace agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
At one point in the debate, Vance said Zelensky was showing disrespect to his host and was about to display his debate for the gathered press.
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Trump warned that Zelenskyy does not have enough leverage to maintain a more stringent negotiating stance on Moscow. Just as White House staff guided reporters out of their room, Trump told the Ukrainian leader, “You either make a deal or we’re out.”
“If we go out, you’ll fight it,” Trump continued. “I don’t think it’s going to be very clean, but you’ll fight it.”
Murkowski expressed disappointment at how the exchange manifested in international observers.
“I know that foreign policy isn’t for the faint of heart, but for now I’m tired of my stomach as the administration appears to be releasing Putin from our allies.
Answers from other Republicans
While Congressional Democrats have been widely critical of Trump and Vance’s handling of controversial interactions with Zelensky, Republicans were largely standing by the administration.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to do business with Zelenskyy again. Graham told reporters as Zelensky’s visit to the White House came at the end of the argument.
Other Republicans expressed support for Ukraine and shared their complaints about how the White House meeting was delegated without specifically denouncement of the Trump administration.
“Ukraine is an ally that pursues the values of the West that are consistent with the free market, free speech, free people, and the values of the West that are consistent with ourselves. On the other hand, Putin’s victory is not. We hope that our country will return to the table and advance our prospects for just and lasting peace,” Curtis added.
