U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said she was saddened by President Donald Trump’s Friday clash with Ukraine’s leader, with two other members of Maine’s congressional delegation blaming Trump for the astonishing turn of events.
Trump berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for being “disrespectful” Friday in an extraordinary Oval Office meeting in front of the news media, then the Republican president called off the signing of a minerals deal that could have moved Ukraine closer to ending its war with Russia. Zelenskyy was asked to leave the White House.
The stakes are high around the three-year war that began with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The fighting has likely killed or wounded more than 1 million people. It is unclear what Trump expects Zelenskyy to do to get a deal back on track, and he has pressed for security guarantees in any deal with Putin.
Things first got testy after Vance challenged Zelenskyy, telling him, “Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.” At another point, he said Zelenskyy should “say thank you.”
During the meeting, Trump declared himself “in the middle” and not on the side of either Ukraine or Russia. He went on to deride Zelenskyy’s “hatred” for Putin as a roadblock to peace.
Collins, a centrist Republican who is supportive of Ukraine and Zelenskyy, said at a fishermen’s event in Rockport that she wished he “had started out by expressing more gratitude for the help that America has given him.” That would have “set things off in a better way.”
“My hope is that they will reconvene, realize how high the stakes are, recognize that Putin is the cause of this conflict, and come up with a formula for a just and lasting peace,” she said.
In statements, Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, and Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat from Maine’s 1st District, put the onus on Trump. Pingree said Trump was making an “un-American” pivot toward Putin, while King said Ukrainian leaders he has met with — including Zelenskyy — have always expressed gratitude for U.S. help.
“I hope this unfortunate meeting will not detract from the pursuit of an agreement that ends the bloodshed, recognizes and protects the sovereignty of Ukraine without appeasing the territorial ambitions of a murderous dictator,” King said.
The office of Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from the 2nd District, declined comment on the Trump-Zelenskyy exchange, which escalated fears that Trump could broker a peace deal with Russia that is unfavorable to Ukraine.
Trump has broken with precedents by holding a lengthy phone call with Putin, and U.S. officials met with their Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia without inviting European or Ukrainian leaders. The minerals deal is intended to partially repay the U.S. for $180 billion sent to Ukraine since the beginning of its war.
Collins credited the Trump administration for coming up with the idea and saying it could tie both countries together. But she said the stakes remain high because Putin would not stop in Ukraine if his troops rolled through the country.
“I believe he would seize Moldova next and then threaten the Baltic states and Poland, and then we are dragged into a war in Europe, because those are members of NATO,” she said. “That is what we should try to avoid at all costs.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.