Some Republican senators say Zelenskyy is not a 'dictator' in response to Trump comments
WASHINGTON – Several Republican senators say they disagree with President Donald Trump's assessment that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is "a dictator."
Asked whether she believes Zelenskyy is a dictator, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said simply: "I do not."
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told reporters they wouldn't describe the Ukrainian president as a dictator.
"“I wouldn’t use the same word,” Cornyn said.
Trump's assessment of Zelenskyy came the day after U.S. and Russian officials met without Ukrainian representation to discuss terms to end Russia's three-year-old invasion. The posture marks a shift in U.S. policy, which has been raging since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in 2022. Congress has sent billions of dollars to support the Ukrainian war effort.
"He refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing (former president Joe) Biden 'like a fiddle,'" Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday. "A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left."
Zelenskyy canceled an election that was set for spring 2024, arguing it could not be held in the middle of a war and the imposition of martial law was legal under the Ukrainian Constitution. Trump also claimed Zelenskyy would not win if an election were held, though an opinion poll released Wednesday by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology that showed 57% of Ukrainians trust Zelenskyy. He was first elected to the presidency in 2019 with 73% of the vote.
Several other Republican senators pushed back on another of Trump's accusations – that Ukraine started the war with Russia, which is false. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and began to occupy much of the eastern portion of the country. Russia previously invaded and annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
"To the extent that the White House said that Ukraine started the war, I disagree," Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told the Associated Press. "I think Vladimir Putin started the war. I also believe through bitter experience that Vladimir Putin is a gangster."
Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, wrote on X that Ukraine is "a sovereign nation defending itself against aggression. That is the reality."
"I want an end to this war just as much as President Trump does, but it must end on terms that bring lasting stability and peace," he wrote. "That means ensuring Vladimir Putin does not walk away with a victory."
However, most Republicans reiterated their interest in peace in Ukraine and supported Trump's call for elections in the country.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said "we need elections in Ukraine," shortly after posting on X that "when it comes to blame for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I blame Putin above all others."
Zelenskyy said he spoke with Graham Wednesday and said the senator is "constructive and doing a lot to help bring peace closer."
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., called for Zelenskyy to hold an election. "Democracies have elections," he said, noting that the United States had an election during World War II.
"The war's gone on long enough and I think he's going to deliver on that," said Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo. to the AP about Trump. "How we get there, I trust President Trump. He's a master negotiator and I think he's going to get to a lasting peace."
Sarah Wire contributed.