In a rare display of Republican dissent, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) sharply condemned President Donald Trump’s handling of his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling his approach a betrayal of U.S. allies and a concerning embrace of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I am sick to my stomach as the administration appears to be walking away from our allies and embracing Putin, a threat to democracy and U.S. values around the world,” Murkowski wrote in a Saturday afternoon post on X (formerly Twitter).
Her remarks came in response to a fiery and confrontational meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Friday, during which the American president publicly berated the Ukrainian leader. The tense exchange underscored a seismic shift in U.S. foreign policy under Trump’s second administration, as he moves away from supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia and signals a broader realignment of American priorities on the global stage.
While most Republicans have rallied behind Trump’s “America First” stance, Murkowski was joined by a handful of other GOP lawmakers in criticizing the president’s approach.
“This week started with administration officials refusing to acknowledge that Russia started the war in Ukraine,” Murkowski continued. “It ends with a tense, shocking conversation in the Oval Office and whispers from the White House that they may try to end all U.S. support for Ukraine.”
Her concerns were echoed by Senator John Curtis (R-Utah) and Representative Don Bacon (R-Neb.), both of whom voiced unease over the deteriorating relationship between Washington and Kyiv.
“Diplomacy and statesmanship seem to have been checked at the door of the Oval Office today,” Curtis wrote on X.
Bacon, meanwhile, called Friday’s meeting “a bad day for America’s foreign policy,” warning that Ukraine “wants to be part of the West,” whereas Russia “hates us and our Western values.”
Despite these concerns, most Republicans have embraced Trump’s pivot away from Ukraine, with some even directly attacking Zelenskyy. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who once supported military aid for Ukraine, shocked observers when he suggested that Zelenskyy should step down.
“I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelenskyy again,” Graham said outside the White House after the meeting.
Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) went even further, posting a video of the exchange on X and calling the Ukrainian leader “that Ukrainian weasel.”
The disastrous meeting on Friday marked a stark departure from previous U.S. policy on Ukraine. Zelenskyy had traveled to Washington hoping to solidify security guarantees and discuss a U.S.-Ukraine deal involving rare earth mineral deposits—an agreement that Trump had previously touted as a major win for American industry.
Instead, the meeting devolved into a heated argument, with Trump reportedly accusing Ukraine of failing to properly “show gratitude” for past U.S. assistance. The encounter ended without any agreement, further straining an already fragile relationship.
After the meeting, Zelenskyy appeared on Fox News’ Special Report with Bret Baier, where he expressed disappointment in the exchange but remained diplomatic.
“The conversation was not good,” Zelenskyy admitted, though he reiterated that Ukraine remained grateful for past American support. He also urged the U.S. to remain on Ukraine’s side rather than aligning with Russia.
Despite the setback, Zelenskyy sought to reassure the Ukrainian people that the country’s Western alliances were still intact.
As Washington reeled from the Oval Office confrontation, European allies rushed to reaffirm their support for Ukraine.
On Saturday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed Zelenskyy to 10 Downing Street with a warm embrace, signaling the U.K.’s ongoing commitment to Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression.
“Our support for Ukraine is unwavering,” Starmer declared. “Ukraine has full backing across the United Kingdom.”
Starmer refrained from directly commenting on the White House incident, but his actions stood in stark contrast to Trump’s increasingly skeptical stance toward Kyiv.
The fallout from the Oval Office meeting raises significant questions about the future of U.S. support for Ukraine. Trump’s growing hostility toward Zelenskyy, coupled with Vice President JD Vance’s recent remarks in Munich dismissing European concerns, suggests a potential withdrawal of U.S. backing for Kyiv.
The Biden administration had previously championed aid for Ukraine as a means of countering Russian aggression, but Trump has increasingly signaled a preference for normalizing relations with Moscow.
In recent weeks, Trump has floated the idea of brokering a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, but his critics argue that such a move would likely favor Putin’s demands rather than securing a just resolution for Ukraine.
Murkowski’s comments, while forceful, highlight the limited influence of GOP dissenters within the party. With Trump firmly in control of the Republican agenda, support for Ukraine appears to be eroding, potentially leaving the embattled nation more reliant on European allies moving forward.
As the dust settles from this latest diplomatic clash, the world watches to see whether Trump will follow through on his implicit threat to cut ties with Ukraine—or whether internal and international pressure will force him to reconsider.
For now, one thing is clear: America’s role in global security is shifting, and Ukraine’s place within that framework is more uncertain than ever.
