Republican lawmaker on Trump-Zelensky meeting: 'A bad day for America’s foreign policy'

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) characterized Friday’s contentious meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “bad day” for U.S. foreign policy.

"A bad day for America’s foreign policy. Ukraine wants independence, free markets and rule of law. It wants to be part of the West. Russia hates us and our Western values. We should be clear that we stand for freedom,” Bacon said in a Friday text message to The Hill.

During Zelensky’s Friday visit to Washington, Trump and Vice President Vance went off on the Ukrainian leader, saying he was ungrateful for the billions of dollars of aid the U.S. has provided to the war-torn eastern European country and that he has very little leverage in negotiations with Russia.

The meeting was initially warm, with the Trump lauding the bravery of Ukraine’s military, but it went off the rails once Kyiv’s leader pressed Vance for arguing that a diplomatic agreement with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin could be forged to end the three-year conflict.

Ukraine’s president pointed to Russia’s invasion of its neighbor’s territory, Putin refusing to exchange prisoners and backtracking on previous ceasefire efforts.

“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 said Friday. “Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems, you should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to his conflict.”

Zelensky suggested that Washington did not feel the implications of the conflict due to its distance from eastern Europe, but that it might be different in years ahead.

“Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel because you’re in no position … to dictate what we’re going to feel,” Trump said in response. “We’re going to feel very good and very strong. You’re right now, not in a very good position.”

“You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards,” the U.S. president said, warning Zelensky that he is “gambling with the lives of millions of people, you’re gambling with World War III … and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country, that’s backed you far more than a lot of people said they should have.”

After the fiery meeting at the White House, Trump said in a Truth Social post that Ukraine’s president is not ready to reach a peace deal.

“It’s amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations,” Trump wrote on social media. “I don’t want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”

Zelensky left the White House after the exchange. The joint press conference, which was scheduled after the meeting, was called off.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio thanked Trump on Friday after the heated huddle with Zelensky for “standing up for America in a way that no President has ever had the courage to do before. Thank you for putting America First. America is with you!”

Mychael Schnell contributed.

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