Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said the Friday summit between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin signals “all is forgiven.”
“He is standing with the most powerful person in the world, and it is a sign from Donald Trump, essentially, that all is forgiven,” Murphy said during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
“And so, this is a big moment for Putin, because he essentially is being legitimized in the eyes of the United States and in the eyes of the world,” he added.
The senator said there wasn’t going to be “any breakthrough” because Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is not present for peace talks.
“We know there’s not going to be any major peace deal here, largely because one of the parties to the war isn’t at the table,” he said.
“You can’t sign a peace agreement if Zelensky isn’t there. And so, there’s not going to be any breakthrough,” he added.
Many have doubted Putin’s intentions at the summit, suggesting the Russian leader has the upper hand and will use face time with Trump to occupy more of Ukraine.
Talks between the two commenced at 3:30 p.m. EDT after a press conference where Trump and Putin were seated in front of a backdrop that read “Pursuing Peace.”
Before the meeting, the president wrote “HIGH STAKES” in a Truth Social post.
Murphy deemed the meetup a “photo-op.”
“My worry is that while the photo-op in and of itself essentially legitimizes war crimes, telegraphs to other autocrats or evil men around the world that they can get away with murdering civilians and still get a photo-op with the president of the United States, it could get worse,” he told MSNBC.
“Because if there is no agreement, if Putin thumbs his nose at Trump, and then Trump does not follow through with more weapons for Ukraine or with any sanctions, then it’s essentially the final green light to Putin that he is going to be able to prosecute this war without reaction from the United States.”
