Trump’s Ukraine plan triggers outrage from Republican lawmakers
By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Many congressional Republicans are harshly criticizing President Donald Trump’s White House for its handling of a proposed Ukraine peace plan that they say favors Russia; It’s a stark departure for a party that has remained firmly committed to nearly all of Trump’s initiatives.
Ukraine supporters worry that the US-based 28-point framework for ending the war in Ukraine, first reported last week, means the Trump administration may be willing to force Kiev to sign a peace deal largely skewed towards Moscow.
“This so-called ‘peace plan’ has real problems, and I am extremely skeptical that it will achieve peace,” Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Friday. he said.
Those fears were further fueled Tuesday when Bloomberg News reported that Trump envoy Steve Witkoff said in an Oct. 14 phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s policy aide Yuri Ushakov that they should work together on a ceasefire plan and that Putin should raise that plan with Trump.
WITKOFF ‘UNRELIABLE’: REPRESENTATIVE
Republican Rep. Don Bacon said on
While Trump’s party remains overwhelmingly behind him, criticism from Republican lawmakers is notable given the president’s recent defeats, including Democrats’ election victories this month and Congress’ support for the release of Justice Department files on late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, an outcome Trump fought for months.
Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick called for a change in approach, describing the call on social media as “a huge problem. And one of the many reasons why these ridiculous sideshows and secret meetings should be stopped.”
Sen. Mitch McConnell, the former Republican Senate leader, suggested Trump may need to find new advisers. “Rewarding Russian butchery would be disastrous for American interests,” he said in a statement.
PUSH BACK FROM TRUMP’S SURROUNDINGS
Trump’s inner circle opposed the lawmakers.
Vice President J.D. Vance, a former Republican senator who has criticized aid to Ukraine, accused McConnell of making a “ridiculous attack” on his plan to end the war.
The president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., said on social media that McConnell was “just being harsh and attacking my father.”
But analysts said attacks from members of Trump’s own party and recent political volatility could point to a larger problem for the administration.
“All of this suggests that he is much more politically vulnerable than he has appeared to be over the last nine, 10 months,” said Scott Anderson, an expert in governance studies at the Brookings Institution.
In addition, while polls show most Americans want to support Ukraine as it fights Russia’s invaders, Republicans are likely looking ahead to the 2026 midterm elections, when control of Congress will be at stake and many Republican candidates will have to appeal to independent voters in tight races.
Some of the strongest criticism came from Republicans like Bacon and McConnell, who are not running for re-election, but Anderson said they said publicly what others would say in private meetings.
“They’re very vocal, they’re very targeted… It almost certainly reflects the specific message element of the party they represent,” Anderson said.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Don Durfee and Rod Nickel)
