Sen. Curtis, other Republicans distance themselves from Trump calling Zelenskyy a 'dictator'

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Some Republicans distanced themselves from President Donald Trump's remarks on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Republicans criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin, emphasizing the need for peace and stability in Ukraine.
Democrats condemned Trump's stance, warning it could embolden adversaries and threaten global stability.

WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans are carefully sidestepping President Donald Trump's comments calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "dictator," instead focusing their attention on defending Ukraine and criticizing the Russian government.

"President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people have stood admirably against an unprovoked invasion. I want an end to this war just as much as President Trump does, but it must end on terms that bring lasting stability and peace," Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, said in a statement to the Deseret News. "That means ensuring Vladimir Putin does not walk away with a victory."

Although Curtis said he did not want to "speculate on (Trump's) negotiating tactics," the Utah senator added that he was "eager to see where President Trump's efforts" to negotiate peace lead.

"The United States should always pursue strategies that promote freedom and security," Curtis said "I do know that any long-term peace must come from strength, not concession.

Trump made the assertion in a lengthy Trump Social post on Wednesday, in which the president accused Zelenskyy of acting like a "Dictator" who "refuses to have Elections" because he is "very low in Ukrainian polls." The post comes one day after Trump suggested Ukraine started the war against Russia, prompting backlash from Zelenskyy, who claimed the president had been "caught in a web of disinformation" coming from the Kremlin.

"A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left. In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia, something all admit only 'TRUMP,' and the Trump Administration, can do," Trump wrote. "I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died – And so it continues ..."

The comments took many senators by surprise on Capitol Hill, with some Republicans unsure what motivated the characterization.

"I would like to see that in context, because I would certainly never refer to President Zelenskyy as a dictator," Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, told reporters on Wednesday.

"I haven't seen the comments," Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said. "I heard his comments about Ukraine starting with the war, which I disagree with."

But rather than respond to the merits of Trump's assertions, some Republicans redirected by denouncing Putin instead.

"I think, pretty clearly, I think he is a gangster," Kennedy said. "I think he's got a black heart. I think he's got Stalin's taste for blood, he said, in addition to other verbal attacks on Putin. Some Republicans sought to paint Putin as an example of a dictator, arguing Zelenskyy cannot be compared to the Russian leader's actions.

"There is no more equivalency between Vladimir Putin and President Zelenskyy," said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. "President Putin is evil and he has to be stopped. I think he's going to hear it from several voices here on Capitol Hill."

Others declined to say whether they agreed with Trump's assessment, noting the president "speaks for himself."

"I want to see a peaceful outcome," Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters. "Right now, there is a negotiation going on. Let's see."

Democrats were more critical of Trump's comment, accusing the president of abandoning an ally in support of its oppressor.

"President Trump amazingly blamed Ukraine for Putin's invasion," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor on Wednesday. "It's disgusting to see an American president turn against one of our friends and openly side with a thug like Vladimir Putin."

Other Democratic lawmakers warned that Trump's assessment could embolden other adversarial nations to take action against U.S. allies, threatening global stability.

"I think this is awful for Ukraine. It's awful for global stability," Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Ct., said. "It ultimately is terrible for the United States because Putin and Xi (Jinping) will now have the green light to expand their borders through force once Trump signs off on this illegal invasion."

"There's no alignment to be had with Russia," Murphy added. "Russia is not gonna choose the United States over China."

Meanwhile, some Republicans have embraced Trump's comments — particularly those who have opposed the United States providing financial assistance to Ukraine amid Russia's invasion.

"Zelenskyy has laundered billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars into Ukraine. Glad to see (Trump) calling out Ukraine's abuse of the American people's goodwill," Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., said in a post on X.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who has previously spoken out against funding toward Ukraine, did not immediately respond to a request for comment by the Deseret News regarding Trump's comments. However, the Utah senator posted on X hours after the statement to say: "Not another dime for Ukraine."

Lee has previously said he finds Putin to be "an evil, megalomaniacal despot." However, he has repeatedly said the war in Ukraine is not "ours to fight."

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.