Don Bacon (R-Neb.) broke with President Donald Trump on Wednesday after his comments on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump labeled Zelenskyy as a “Dictator without Elections” in a lengthy post to Truth Social on Wednesday.
Republican senators went to great lengths on Wednesday to avoid bashing President Donald Trump and his criticism of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy but they didn't hold back on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
U.S. President Donald Trump's comments this week claiming Ukraine was responsible for starting the three-year conflict with Russia and calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "a dictator without elections" drew criticism from congressional Democrats and pushback from some members of the Republican Party.
Fast forward almost six years — to a pivotal moment for his war-torn country’s future — Zelenskyy seems to have forgotten the first rule in dealing with Trump: Flattery is the coin of the realm — and perceived insults, especially in public, will quickly get you kicked to the curb.
Red state governors were quick to throw their support behind President Trump following a tense back-and-forth with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office Friday afternoon,
Tensions rose during a meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy at the White House. Zelenskyy shifted the focus to security assurances, leading to a heated exchange. The meeting ended with Zelenskyy being asked to leave.
During the clash, in front of US and international media, Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused Zelenskyy of not being “thankful” and refusing to accept their proposed truce terms.
Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelenskyy during a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House on Friday and at times raised their voices toward the Ukrainian leader. Trump also accused Zelenskyy of being “disrespectful” as Vance demanded that Zelenskyy offer his thanks to the president.
This morning, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered a testy defense of his war-torn country when responding to Vice President JD Vance — who asked him “have you said thank you once?” — Zelenskyy took to X to do some thanking.