Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham scolded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his tense exchange with President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance.
Graham, who has previously expressed support for Zelenskyy, said the Ukrainian president either needs to "resign" or "change" if he wants continued U.S. support in the war with Russia.
"What I saw in the Oval Office was disrespectful," Graham said. "And I don't know if we can ever do business with Zelenskyy again."
The clash in the White House started when Zelenskyy tried to explain that Russia had been showing signs of aggression toward Ukraine for more than a decade. Vance then accused Zelenskyy of being ungrateful for U.S. support.
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"I think it's disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media," Vance told Zelenskyy.
President Trump then chimed in, at times shouting, about how important U.S. support has been to Ukraine.
"You're not acting at all thankful, and that's not a nice thing," Trump told Zelenskyy.
Graham mentioned that he informed Zelenskyy about Trump's "upbeat" mood before their meeting and advised the Ukrainian president to "not take the bait."
"I think he has made it almost impossible to sell to the American people that he's a good investment," Graham said.
Zelesnkyy left the White House without signing a minerals deal that President Trump said was a condition for future support for Ukraine.
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While Graham was standing by President Trump, another Republican, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a co-chair on the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, said both sides should return to the negotiation table.
"I am confident that the parties will reconvene in pursuit of a mutually agreeable solution that best serves the interests of the United States of America and Ukraine," he said. "This is the only acceptable outcome."
Democrats, however, were more pointed in their criticism of Trump.
"President Trump and his administration continue to embarrass America on the world stage," said Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. "Today’s White House meeting with the President of Ukraine was appalling and will only serve to further embolden Vladimir Putin, a brutal dictator."
Rep. Gregory Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also criticized the president.
"The world just watched the supposed leader of the free world throw a temper tantrum in the Oval Office, lashing out at a war-time President fighting for his nation’s survival. Trump and Vance’s outburst did nothing to advance America’s interests or bring Ukraine closer to a just and sustainable peace," he said.
