Several Republican senators have distanced themselves from the American president's latest outburst, particularly the claim that President Zelensky is to blame for the outbreak of war.
"When it comes to blaming Russia's invasion of Ukraine, I blame Putin above all others," writes, for example, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham on X.
At the same time, he praises Trump, who according to Graham is "Ukraine's best hope for ending the war honorably and justly".
"Speaking for himself"
Even John Thune, the Republican group leader in the Senate, objects to Trump's rewriting of history.
Russia is the aggressor here, there's no question about it, he says according to The Washington Post, but refuses to comment on Trump's claim that Zelensky is a "dictator".
The President is speaking for himself, he simply says.
Even Maine Senator Susan Collins, Iowa's Chuck Grassley, and Thom Tillis in North Carolina – like Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence – are turning against the President's blame-shifting of Zelensky, report American media. Others advise against a physical meeting between Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin.
Backing new elections
The Republican response has, however, been muted, notes The New York Times. No one has explicitly dared to criticize or challenge Trump and the USA's clear shift in the Ukraine issue. Instead, most praise Trump for his efforts to end the war. Many also back the President's call for new elections in Ukraine.
Zelensky is the elected leader, but you know, in the end, one must hold elections, says Republican Missouri Senator Josh Hawley to Fox News.
Zelensky's mandate has formally expired, but since martial law prevails in Ukraine, new elections cannot be held, according to the constitution.
