Some Senate Republicans took issue Wednesday with President Trump's escalating criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a "dictator" and his false assertion that Ukraine provoked the ongoing war with Russia, now in its third year.
Trump's "dictator" remark came in a scathing post on his TruthSocial social account, and followed comments by Zelenskyy earlier in the day that he "would like to see more truth from the Trump team."
The president's comments left several lawmakers looking to dispel Russian talking points about how the war began and who bore ultimate responsibility.
"We must remember that the instigator of this war was Russia," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. "It was President Putin who launched an unprovoked attack on Ukraine."
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who just returned from an official visit to Ukraine, lauded Zelenskyy for keeping his nation together and putting up a tougher fight than Russia anticipated.
"I think we should give [Zelenskyy] a fair amount of credit for that work," he said.
The response among Senate Republicans highlights a public intraparty rift with the president on a key White House priority, even though lawmakers have little power to change Trump's mind about approving any more funding for Ukraine, his personal view of Zelenskyy or the increasing likelihood of a peace deal that many lawmakers worry is more likely to favor Russia's interests.
The president holds tremendous constitutional authority to conduct foreign policy with little check on that power from Congress or anywhere else. An initial round of U.S.-Russia talks kicked off in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday — without Ukraine at the table.
Senators like Tillis expressed some concern that the president is taking a cozier approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin, someone who more conservative defense hawks traditionally view as a direct threat to U.S. interests.
"Putin's a murderer," Tillis said. "He's a very bad person who needs to be stopped. He's going to metastasize across Europe if we don't [stop him.]"
At the same time Tillis, who is up for re-election in 2026, suggested that Trump's negotiating tactics often work for him and said he's willing to give him the benefit of the doubt to try to finalize a deal that protects Ukraine.
"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," Tillis said.
Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., echoed the view that Trump should be given room to negotiate, telling reporters the president is "a public negotiator and understands positioning and likes to soften his targets."
Asked what he would tell Ukrainians following Trump's moves, Cramer said: "Watch Donald Trump masterfully bring an end to the war in your country and don't expect to get everything you want and don't expect Vladimir Putin to get everything he wants, but a permanent peace which I think almost every Ukrainian wants."
Whether or not Trump can broker an end to the war is unlikely to affect the reality that the GOP-controlled Congress has little appetite for approving any more foreign aid to help Ukraine in its fight. All in, Congress has approved about $175 billion that includes direct military assistance to Ukraine and funds to rebuild the U.S. military stockpile.
Zelenskyy told NBC in an interview that aired Sunday that it would be "very very difficult" for Ukraine to survive without U.S. aid. "I don't want to think about it," he said. "Yes, we have to think about it."
Prior to Trump's comments, other top Republicans were already expressing concern with the president's posture toward Russia. During the Munich Security Conference last week, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's declaration that Ukraine would not be offered NATO membership as part of any peace deal with Russia.
"There are good guys and bad guys in this war, and the Russians are the bad guys," Wicker said during a programming interview hosted by Politico. "They invaded, contrary to almost every international law, and they should be defeated. And Ukraine is entitled to the promises that the world made to it."
While former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was – and remains – one of the loudest defenders of U.S. aid to Ukraine in Congress, his successor made clear Wednesday he is taking a softer approach.
"I think 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," Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters. "And I think right now you've got to give them some space."
Asked about Trump's characterization of Zelenskyy as a dictator, Thune responded: "The president speaks for himself."
Deirdre Walsh and Lexie Schapitl contributed reporting.
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