“An extremely sad moment in American history,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) describing President Donald Trump‘s characterization of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a dictator as the POTUS touted his administration’s partnering with Russia — and Russia alone — to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.
Trump wrote, in a long diatribe that critics say repeats Kremlin narratives verbatim, that Ukraine and the Biden administration were responsible for the war that was “a bad war to go into.”
Sanders saw Trump’s declarations as a reversal of decades of strong alliances between Western democratic nations, a capitulation to Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and a death knell for America’s place as the international standard-bearer for democratic values.
We are witnessing a very sad moment in American history.
The President of the United States is aligning himself with the dictator of Russia, Vladimir Putin, to undermine the independence of Ukraine and its democracy.
Here are my thoughts: pic.twitter.com/mfogfnQxSK
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 20, 2025
Calling Trump’s move to side with Russia against Ukraine a “very, very serious issue,” Sanders spoke for more than five minutes. “We saw the President of the United States aligning himself with the dictator of Russia,” Sanders said, “Trump is showing us that he sees one of the world’s most brutal dictators as his friend.”
Sanders also said: “It will not surprise you when I tell you Trump is lying, as he so often does.”
Even some Republicans spoke out against the realignment, and what appeared to be an abandoning of the longtime Western ally, Ukraine. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) posted the following corrective to Trump’s assertions.
Putin started this war. Putin committed war crimes. Putin is the dictator who murdered his opponents. The EU nations have contributed more to Ukraine. Zelensky polls over 50%. Ukraine wants to be part of the West, Putin hates the West. I don’t accept George Orwell’s doublethink.
— Rep. Don Bacon
(@RepDonBacon) February 19, 2025
MAGA Republicans who continue to side with Trump believe that Ukraine has squandered much of the aid the U.S. provided — Trump claimed $100 billion was “missing” — and that Putin had a right to the territory he invaded to annex.