Republican in Congress revolts against Trump over Ukraine
Photo: Brian Fitzpatrick (levittownnow.com)
Republicans in Congress are beginning to mount more decisive resistance to Donald Trump's sharp turn away from Ukraine's president, warning that they will not tolerate concessions to Vladimir Putin, according to Bloomberg.
Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick disagreed with Trump's recent criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and warned that legislators from both parties are "ready, willing, and able to do whatever it takes to prevent Communist Dictator Vladimir Putin from being rewarded for his illegal invasion."
"We will use every lever and every vote at our disposal, regardless of the personal or political consequences," Fitzpatrick wrote on X.
He stated that Zelenskyy does not need any country imposing a deal on him "that does not guarantee the security and the sovereignty of the Ukrainian people, the people who elected him with over 73% of the popular vote."
Fitzpatrick, a member of the House Intelligence Committee and co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, represents a swing district in the suburbs of Philadelphia.
His statement became one of the sharpest critiques so far from Republicans regarding Trump's stance on Russia and Ukraine, with many Republicans having refused to use their majority in the House of Representatives and Senate to demand a course change from him.
The president has long insisted on ending the war, claiming that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine would not have occurred if he had been in the White House in February 2022. He intensified this criticism in recent days after Ukraine rejected the U.S. proposal to transfer a large part of its most vital mineral resources and called Zelenskyy a "dictator."
Support for Ukraine remains high among both Republicans and Democrats. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicke, a Republican from Mississippi, said Defense Secretary Pete Hegset made a "rookie mistake" by saying in his NATO speech that it is unrealistic for Ukraine to restore its borders to the 2014 level or join NATO.
It is still unclear what Republicans, who have so far refused to break with Trump on many other issues, will do this time. They have offered little resistance to the dissolution of the US Agency for International Development, plans to fire thousands of federal government employees, or allowing Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency access to key government computer systems.
They also approved candidates who faced fierce opposition. For instance, Hegset had little management experience and was pursued by allegations of alcohol abuse and sexual harassment, which he denied.
Meanwhile, US House Speaker Mike Johnson stated that there is no desire to pass another Ukraine funding bill.
