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‘America-last RINOs’ side with Zelenskyy over Trump

February 20, 2025 | | Print Article

Some Senate Republicans are being dubbed ‘America-last RINOs’ for being displeased by President Donald Trump’s recent tiff with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Earlier in the week, Trump seemingly blamed Ukraine for the Ukraine-Russia war, writing on Truth Social that Zelenskyy “should have never started it.” He also called Zelenskyy a dictator over his refusal to hold elections.

The angry diatribe came after Zelenskyy balked at the Trump administration pursuing a peace deal without his input.

“Decisions on how to end the war in Ukraine cannot be made without Ukraine, nor can any conditions be imposed,” he said.

Responding to the back-and-forth quarrel, a number of Senate Republicans automatically sided with Zelenskyy, as did former Vice President Mike Pence:

“I’m concerned with anything that would ultimately allow there to be a moral equivalency between Zelenskyy and Putin,” Sen. Thom Tillis told The Hill. “Zelenskyy is frustrated, but he’s also been the right head of state for the time. He’s kept a nation together focused on Russian occupiers, and I think we should give them a fair amount of credit for that work.”

“The president has used some fairly successful, aggressive negotiating tactics in the past, so I’ll give him latitude for now. But at the end of the day, Putin needs to be a loser and the Ukrainian people need to be the winners. Let’s get past the leadership personalities and talk about what’s most important: a free Ukraine, not for its own sake, but for the sake of national security, the United States, European security,” he added.

Sen. Susan Collins also rushed to lecture Trump.

“We must remember that the instigator of this war was President Putin, who launched an unprovoked attack on Ukraine,” she said.

Even the beloved Sen. John Kennedy had some criticism for Trump, though he kept the criticism light and gentle.

“The president grows anxious when he has an unexpressed thought, and that has endeared him to many Americans — but when you’re president, sometimes it causes problems,” he said. “It’s not going to change. I’m not criticizing him. He’s the president, I’m not.”

“I think the president and Ukraine want the same thing — that is to get a settlement that lifts up Ukraine, lifts up the West and diminishes [Putin]. I disagree with the White House: I don’t think Ukraine started the war, I think Putin did, and I’ve made my feelings well known. I think he’s a gangster with a black heart. I think he’s got Stalin’s taste for blood. I think he makes Jeffrey Dahmer look like Mother Teresa. I think he’s an evil, evil man — and I want to beat him,” Kennedy added.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune meanwhile first claimed Trump only “speaks for himself” when he called Zelenskyy a dictator but then turned around and defended Trump and his administration.

“What I’m in support of is a peaceful outcome and result in Ukraine, and I think right now, the administration, the president and his team are working to achieve that,” he said. “Right now, you’ve got to give them some space, honestly.”

“This war has ground on for three years. There’s been a lot of costs, a lot of death, a lot of injury associated with it. I think it’s in everybody’s best interest … if they can bring about a peaceful conclusion to the war,” he added.

Then there’s Sen. Lindsey Graham, who skipped whining to the media altogether and instead rushed directly into Zelenskyy’s arms:

Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker has also sided with the Ukrainians.

“Any sort of peace talks that might get a fair result would definitely need to have the Ukrainians at the table and make sure that European interests are considered and carefully weighed,” he said. “Putin is a war criminal and should be in jail for the rest of his life — if not executed.”

Sen. Kevin Cramer was the only one to defend Trump, arguing that his word antics are part of the show.

“It’s sort of like the banter before the heavyweight fight when they come in to get their weights, step on the scales, have a little presser, show off their muscles,” he said.

“[Trump’s] always had a rhetorical relationship, favorable relationship with the bigger countries [and] the adversaries, but he’s also never caved to any of them, including Iran, China. I don’t worry about it,” he added.

Vivek Saxena
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