Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said on Sunday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is “rightfully concerned” about Russia reneging on agreements, as some Trump administration officials took to the airwaves to criticize the Ukrainian president and longtime U.S. ally.
“I understand Zelenskyy is rightfully concerned that Putin has violated every single agreement he’s ever signed and that he can’t be trusted,” Lankford said during an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
His comments come after an explosive exchange in the Oval Office between President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Zelenskyy, where the U.S. leaders berated the Ukrainian president for his approach to diplomacy and argued that he did not sufficiently thank the U.S. for its support, despite Zelenskyy having thanked the U.S. numerous times. Zelenkyy pointed out during the Oval Office exchange that Russia has previously broken ceasefires, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin “killed our people and he didn’t exchange prisoners.”
Current and former Russian officials praised Trump after the confrontation.
When Lankford was asked during the NBC interview whether he was concerned that the U.S. was turning its back on Ukraine, a longtime ally, Lankford said “no.”
“No, we’re not turning our back on Ukraine, nor should we,” he said. “Putin is a murderous KGB thug that murders his political enemies and is a dictator.”
The Trump administration has ushered in a new chapter of foreign relations. The president has falsely called Zelenskyy a dictator and cast blame onto Ukraine for the start of the war, which began when Russia invaded its democratic neighbor in 2022. In February, the administration sided with Russia in a vote on a United Nations resolution which called for Russia’s withdrawal from Ukraine.
U.S. officials have discussed whether to pause military aid to Ukraine after the Oval Office confrontation, according to two administration officials.
Lankford also defended Trump during the interview, saying that the president “is trying to get both sides to the table.” He added that both countries needed to work to determine a resolution to the war.
“We need to get these two folks at the table, get to some kind of resolution, to something that may look like North and South Korea for a long time and have a line where people are looking at each other but not an active war,” he said.
Trump administration officials criticize Zelenskyy
Trump said on Friday that Zelenskyy has “got to say I want to make peace,” and several of the president’s allies have suggested Zelenskyy should resign, marking a rare public push by top U.S. officials for the end of a longstanding U.S. ally’s leadership.
Trump administration officials fanned out across Sunday news shows to criticize Zelenskyy and cast doubt on his ability to participate in a U.S.-led peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Criticism of Putin, a U.S. adversary, took a backseat.
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said in a CNN interview on Sunday that “we need a leader that can deal with us, eventually deal with the Russians and end this war.”
“If it becomes apparent that President Zelenskyy’s either personal motivations or political motivations are divergent from ending the fighting in his country, then I think we have a real issue on our hands,” Waltz said. He added that ending the war would take concessions on both sides, including on territory and security guarantees.
Separately, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Fox News that Zelenskyy’s requests of the U.S., including requests for security guarantees, were “ridiculous.”
“Zelenskyy needed to hear it directly from the funding mouth of the United States of America: We’re not going to give you money unless you’re here for peace,” Lutnick said.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said in an interview on Fox News that “Trump recognizes the urgent need to end this war,” adding that “Zelenskyy has different aims in mind.”
“He has said that he wants to end this war, but he will only accept an end, apparently, that leads to what he views as Ukraine’s victory,” Gabbard added. “Even if it comes at an incredibly high cost of potentially World War Three or even a nuclear war.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., had initially suggested that Zelenskyy step aside, saying after the Oval Office meeting that the Ukrainian president “either needs to resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change.”
Lankford rejected GOP suggestions for Zelenskyy to resign, saying on Sunday that he thinks “that would spiral Ukraine into chaos right now, trying to find who is the negotiator to bring an issue to peace.”
A handful of Republicans in Congress have objected to the U.S.’s foreign policy realignment, though most have remained mum or echoed the Trump administration’s perspective.
Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, said he was “deeply troubled” by the U.S.’s United Nations vote, and Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said after the vote that the “Trump Administration royally screwed up today on Ukraine.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, slammed the administration’s perspective on Saturday, saying that she was “sick to my stomach as the administration appears to be walking away from our allies and embracing Putin, a threat to democracy and U.S. values around the world.”
Waltz cast doubt on Sunday as to whether the administration could negotiate an end to the war.
“I don’t know that we can get both sides to the table at this point,” he said on CNN.
Trump had previously said he could end the war in Ukraine in one day, or even before taking office.
