An angry White House clash between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump divided the US president’s fellow Republicans and dimmed prospects that Congress will approve any further aid for Kyiv in its war with Russia.
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On Saturday, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said there were “whispers from the White House that they may try to end all US support for Ukraine … 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 US values around the world”.
Other Republicans who had long supported Ukraine lashed out at Zelensky after Friday’s exchange, in which Trump and Vice-President J.D. Vance berated the Ukrainian leader before the world’s media, accusing him of disrespect.
Senator Lindsey Graham called for Zelensky to change his tune or resign, just hours after attending a friendly meeting between Zelensky 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 Zelensky again,” Graham, a close Trump ally, told reporters as he left the White House after the clash, which drove relations with Kyiv’s most important wartime ally to a new low.
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“He either needs to resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change,” the South Carolina senator said.