President Trump’s public debacle with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky halted hopes for a signed minerals agreement while dividing the world — and Washington — over their support for them both.
Long-simmering tensions between Trump and Zelensky exploded into the open during a heated Oval Office exchange that will have ramifications for the U.S., Russia, Ukraine and all of Europe.
Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) said to Chris Stirewalt on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday” that the recent heated meeting with President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Vice President Vance was “not how you handle a situation if you want to be a mediator.”
Horsford later added that “it appears that President Trump and Vice President Vance not only are abandoning” Ukraine, but they are also seemingly “abandoning many of our Eastern European allies.”
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) called his vote to confirm Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was in that meeting with Trump and Zelensky, “a mistake” in a Sunday interview with CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“It was a mistake. I think a lot of us thought that Marco Rubio was going to stand up to Donald Trump on an issue like this,” said Murphy.
Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said in an NBC News “Meet the Press” interview that he believes someone besides Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should lead Ukraine.
However, Sen. James Lankford (R-Olka.) said he doesn’t agree with the calls from some in his party saying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should step down.
Some Republicans are looking to include additional cuts in the upcoming government funding bill in an effort solidify Trump’s agenda.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will likely address the battle to secure the successful passage of the legislation required to prevent a government shutdown on March 14 on CNN’s “State of the Union” and on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Read the full Sunday show lineup here and follow along below for today’s live updates.
Rubio says Trump would be ‘on his way to the Nobel Peace Prize’ if he were a Democrat
Secretary of State Marco Rubio fiercely defended President Trump’s approach to negotiating a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia on Sunday, saying the media public would be praising his efforts if he were a Democrat.
“Shouldn’t we all be happy that we have a president who’s trying to stop wars and prevent them instead of start them?” Rubio said in an interview on ABC News’s “This Week,” amid a tense exchange with George Stephanopoulos over Trump’s peace-deal efforts.
Former NATO commander says war in Ukraine ‘a long way from being over’
Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Wesley Clark said on Sunday that the war in Ukraine is “a long way from being over.”
“[The] war’s a long way from being over,” Clark told NewsNation’s Chris Stirewalt on “The Hill Sunday.” “It’s [hard] to look at Russia through Russian eyes. Most of us look at Russia, we say, ‘The economy’s in trouble, forces aren’t going very far very fast, they’re taking a lot of casualties.’”
“But, you have to look at Russia through Russian history, Russian culture and Russian current mechanisms. Putin’s building a war machine. Military industrial complex in Russia going 24/7, getting a lot of support from China, Iran, North Korea. He hasn’t really tapped all of his manpower reserves. He’s trying to do this on the cheap,” he added.
Waltz likens Zelensky to an ‘ex-girlfriend’ after contentious Oval Office meeting
National security adviser Mike Waltz compared Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to an “ex-girlfriend” who wants to re-litigate issues from nearly a decade prior.
In an interview on Breitbart Radio on Saturday, Waltz was critical of Zelensky’s approach to the Oval Office meeting and to his subsequent Fox News interview, saying the Ukrainian president is too focused on “fact-checking” the past and not focused enough on moving on in the future.
Asked whether Zelensky has improved his standing since the contentious meeting with President Trump, Waltz said, “No, look, he’s clearly solely focused on believing he needs to fact-check and correct every nuance.”
Horsford says Zelensky Oval Office meeting ‘not how you handle a situation if you want to be a mediator’
Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) said Sunday that the recent heated meeting with President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Vice President Vance was “not how you handle a situation if you want to be a mediator.”
“It was a spectacle. For President Trump and Vice President Vance, to take on President Zelensky before the American people in a public setting with the press is not how you handle a situation if you want to be a mediator, if you want to get to a resolution, if you want to get to peace,” Horsford said to Chris Stirewalt on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday.”
Horsford later added that “it appears that President Trump and Vice President Vance not only are abandoning” Ukraine, they are also seemingly “abandoning many of our Eastern European allies.”
The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.
Starmer unveils 4-step Ukraine plan: ‘We are at a crossroads in history’
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveiled a 4-step plan for Ukraine.
“We are at a crossroads in history,” Starmer said.
His remarks come just days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with President Trump to discuss a deal to end the three-year war with Russia, but the meeting ended with a shouting match and Zelensky departing the White House early.
House budget resolution is ‘screw America bill,’ House Democrat says
Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) on Sunday called a budget resolution that was recently adopted by House Republicans a “screw America bill.”
“It’s the screw America bill, and let me tell you why,” Horsford said on “The Hill Sunday” with NewsNation’s Chris Stirewalt.
“Let me tell you why,” the Nevada Democrat added. “They are cutting $2 trillion on the backs of everyday Americans, seniors, those who are disabled, women, pregnant women, newborn children, to do what? To give tax breaks to the very wealthy, to big corporations, to tech tycoons. And they’re very clear and deliberate about how they’re going about it.”
Rounds calls Russia ‘aggressor,’ says someone must ‘find a middle ground’ in Ukraine war
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) on Sunday called Russia an “aggressor” in the war in Ukraine and said someone must “stand in the middle” to “find a middle ground” in the conflict.
“Russia is the aggressor. Clearly, they’re the adversary in this particular case, but somebody has to stand in the middle and try to find a middle ground to get to a ceasefire to stop the killing,” Rounds told NewsNation’s Chris Stirewalt on “The Hill Sunday.” “I think that’s where the president wants to be in this case.”
Gabbard: ‘Big divergence’ between Trump’s, Zelensky’s interests
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard argued there is a “big divergence” between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after the meeting between the two ended in a shouting match.
Gabbard joined “Fox News Sunday,” where she weighed in on international relations after Zelensky and Trump’s meeting had a fiery ending.
“President Trump recognizes the urgent need to end this war after three long, bloody years and has proven that he is the only person that can do this,” Gabbard said. “President Zelensky has different aims in mind.”
Gabbard argued that Zelensky will only accept a deal that leads to “what he views as Ukraine’s victory,” no matter if it leads to a third world war.
Senate Democrat says White House is ‘arm of Kremlin’
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said in an interview that aired Sunday that the White House is “an arm of the Kremlin” following a tense Oval Office meeting with President Trump, Vice President Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“The White House has become an arm of the Kremlin. Every single day, you hear from the national security adviser, from the president of the United States, from his entire national security team, Kremlin talking points,” Murphy told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”
“The last week, the White House has been pretending as if Ukraine started this war. That’s essentially saying that Poland invaded Germany at the beginning of World War II,” the Connecticut Democrat added.
Murphy calls his Rubio confirmation vote ‘a mistake’
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) called his vote to confirm Secretary of State Marco Rubio “a mistake” in an interview that aired Sunday.
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio was there,” CNN’s Dana Bash said on CNN’s “State of the Union,” referencing a recent heated Oval Office meeting with President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Vice President JD Vance.
“He didn’t participate in the conversation, but he was with the national security adviser when they asked Zelensky to leave the White House after that blow-up,” she added. “And he has been very supportive of what happened in that meeting. You voted to approve his nomination to be secretary of state, you still think you made the right choice?”
“Nope, it was a mistake. It was a mistake. I think a lot of us thought that Marco Rubio was going to stand up to Donald Trump on an issue like this,” Murphy responded.
The Hill has reached out to the White House and State Department for comment.
Sanders says it’s a ‘horrible suggestion’ for Zelensky to step down
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said it’s a “horrible suggestion” for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to step down after the disastrous meeting with President Trump.
Sanders joined NBC News’s “Meet the Press,” where host Kristen Welker asked him about the various calls for Zelensky to step aside to pave the way for a ceasefire with Russia.
“I think that is a horrific suggestion,” Sanders said. “Zelensky is leading a country, trying to defend a democracy against an authoritarian dictator, Putin, who invaded his country.”
British ambassador calls on US and Ukraine to meet again
United Kingdom ambassador to the U.S., Lord Peter Mandelson, said he believes the U.S. and Ukraine need to meet again to kickstart negotiations.
Mandelson joined ABC News’s “This Week” on Sunday to discuss the failure of a meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which ended in shouting.
“My response is that we need a very radical reset,” he said, adding “And the reset has to consist of the United States and Ukraine getting back on the same page.”
Waltz: ‘We do not see Ukraine being a member of NATO’
National security adviser Mike Waltz said on Sunday that the U.S. does “not see Ukraine being a member of NATO.”
“One thing is clear, we do not see Ukraine being a member of NATO, because that would automatically drag U.S. troops in,” Waltz told CNN’s Dana Bash of “State of the Union.”
“But Dana … look, we need to get all sides to the table, and we’re very frustrated that we did not see that from the Ukrainians after we had negotiated a minerals deal that would bind us together, grow their economy and change the nature of our aid,” he added.
Waltz’s comments follow a tense Oval Office meeting with President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Vice President Vance on Friday, which featured shouting and finger-pointing. The president and Zelensky argued over U.S. support for Ukraine.
Klobuchar says Ukrainian negotiators need to look to Europe now
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said she hopes European officials take over the ceasefire negotiations between Ukraine and Russia after President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s meeting ended in shouting.
“There’s a major meeting going on today in Great Britian with 17 European allies. You’ve got another meeting going on in Brussels where they want to come together,” Klobuchar said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”
She noted that most of the global economy is on Ukraine’s side, along with some of the United States’ closest allies.
“I think that he needs to go to Europe,” she said of Zelensky. “I think they need to all come together with an agree, with the idea for how we can do this.”
She noted that she believes European forces will have to come to an agreement and present it to Trump to “get this moving again.”
Klobuchar: ‘Chaos’ of Zelensky meeting indicative of Trump’s second term
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said she believes the “chaos” seen from President Trump’s and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s meeting is indicative of the U.S. president’s second term.
Klobuchar said on Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” that she believed Zelensky was ambushed by Trump and Vice President Vance during their meeting Friday.
“You know, it’s the chaos of this presidency. It’s chaos are up,” she said. “Corruption is up. Costs are up, just ask anyone in the egg aisle.”
“I don’t think the people of America bought into this,” Klobuchar added.
The Democratic senator said she hopes that there still is the possibility for a ceasefire, and turned to European leaders to now lead the negotiations.
GOP senator: ‘I don’t agree’ with calls for Zelensky to step down
Sen. James Lankford (R-Olka.) said he doesn’t agree with the calls from some in his party saying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should step down.
Lankford joined CBS News’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday to discuss the explosive meeting between President Trump and Zelensky, and the subsequent calls from GOP leaders for a new Ukrainian leader.
“I don’t agree,” he said. “I’m not interested in calling on the resignation of other world leaders. I didn’t like it when Chuck Schumer asked for Netanyahu to bre removed. I don’t like it when other members of the senate ask for Zelensky to be removed either.”
Johnson says Putin ‘not to be trusted,’ ‘dangerous’
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “not to be trusted,” as well as “dangerous.”
“What is your view of Vladimir Putin?” CNN’s Dana Bash asked Johnson on “State of the Union.”
“I think Vladimir Putin is an old-school communist, a former KGB agent, and he’s not to be trusted and he is dangerous,” Johnson responded. “The way I view this is that China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are engaged in a new Axis — Axis powers, and they are not on America’s side. Let’s be crystal clear about that.”
Johnson says someone besides Zelensky ‘needs to lead’ Ukraine
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he believes someone besides Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should lead Ukraine.
Johnson joined NBC News’ “Meet the Press” just days after President Trump and Zelensky held an explosive meeting and the mineral deal intended to fuel peace talks.
“Well, something has to change,” Johnson said. “Either he needs to come to his senses and come back to the table in gratitude, or someone else needs to lead the country to do that.”
Zelensky and Trump met on Friday in what was expected to be a confirmation of the mineral deal. Still, the meeting devolved into a shouting match, and the Ukrainian president left the White House early.
Johnson dismisses concerns, says its ‘absurd’ that GOP supports Putin
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) attempted to dismiss concerns after President Trump’s fiery meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, noting it would be “absurd” for Republicans to stand behind Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Johnson joined NBC News’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, where he discussed the failed deal and the meeting between Trump and Zelensky.
“They’re not abandoning Ukraine,” Johnson said of the meeting. “I was with the president a day before that meeting, and he was excited about this mineral deal. He believed it, and we all believed it to be in the best interest of both countries.”
The speaker defended Trump and Vice President Vance, who laid into Zelensky about the deal and the three-year-long war.
Johnson: US ‘not abandoning Ukraine,’ but Zelensky’s priorities ‘in the wrong place’
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) stated that the U.S. is not “abandoning Ukraine” but that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s priorities are not in the right place following a heated exchange between the Ukrainian leader and President Trump.
When NBC’s “Meet The Press” host Kristen Welker asked if Trump is aligning the U.S. with Russia, Johnson said that the president “is trying to get these two parties to a point of peace.”
“You have two parties who, to this point, have not shown any interest, apparently, in getting to peace,” he said. “What President Zelensky did in the White House was effectively signal to us that he’s not ready for that yet, and I think that’s a grave disappointment.”
“You’ve got to bring an end to this war,” he continued. “And for Zelensky to come in and make demands that he wasn’t even making a year ago, I think, shows that his priorities are in the wrong place, and I certainly hope that he will come back to his senses.”