Republican senators have joined Democrats to issue a pointed message to Donald Trump as he prepares to meet with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky.
Zelensky, 47, will travel to Mar-a-Lago on Sunday to discuss a possible peace agreement to end Russia’s war in Ukraine with Trump, 79, who previously tried to bully Ukraine into accepting a U.S.-brokered deal favorable to Vladimir Putin.
After Putin, 73, hit Ukraine with hundreds of drones and missiles over Christmas, GOP senators Thom Tillis, Jerry Moran, and John Barrasso, along with Democratic colleagues, offered a reminder that Putin, 73, is a “ruthless murderer.”
“Today’s decision by Putin to launch attacks rather than hold fire is a sobering reminder for us all: Putin is a ruthless murderer who has no interest in peace and cannot be trusted,” reads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee release.
The senators added, “It bears repeating that President Zelenskyy agreed to a Christmas truce, but Putin declined, yet he directs soldiers to continue to commit brutal crimes of aggression on one of Christianity’s holiest days.”
Tillis, 65, a senator from North Carolina, Moran, 71, a senator from Kansas, and Barrasso, 73, a senator from Wyoming, were joined by Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, Jacky Rosen, Chris Coons, Jeff Merkley, and Chris Van Hollen, as well as Angus King, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats.
The message was not joined by more MAGA-friendly members of the committee, including its Republican chairman Jim Risch and Texas’ Ted Cruz.
Once firmly in control of congressional Republicans, Trump’s influence has weakened in recent months as his approval rating has plummeted and the GOP has lost in contests across the country.
The defeats suggest a path for Democrats to reclaim at least partial control of Congress in the 2026 midterms by flipping the House and even the Senate, leaving Trump to serve the remainder of his second term as a lame-duck president.
Moreover, the trio of Republican senators is largely free from electoral pressure: Tillis is retiring in 2027, Moran faces reelection in 2028, and Barrasso in 2030.
Critics have long accused Trump of playing into Putin’s hands while being hostile towards Ukraine and other traditional allies.
In recent months, he launched a diplomatic push to end the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022, but his proposed peace plan initially reflected many of Putin’s demands, blindsiding Zelensky and European allies.
The demands included limitations on Ukraine’s military and, crucially, the surrender of territory to Russia.
Last month, Trump melted down at Ukraine on Truth Social, claiming that Zelensky had shown “ZERO GRATITUDE” in a message echoing his tantrum at their contentious Oval Office meeting in February. Zelensky responded by thanking Trump again.
The Ukrainian leader announced Thursday that he’d had a “good conversation” with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
He told reporters Friday that he plans to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine with Trump on Sunday, as well as the “sensitive issue” of possible territorial concessions.
While Zelesnky said the 20-point plan under discussion “is about 90% ready,” he cautioned, “Russia constantly looks for reasons not to agree.”
