Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) expressed disappointment and demanded an apology from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after a tense meeting with President Trump and Vice President Vance at the White House on Friday.
Graham, who had pushed for a U.S. partnership with Ukraine over its valuable minerals in exchange for continued war support, called the meeting an “absolute, utter disaster” and said any hopes for such a deal are now “dead.”
He told Fox News’s America Reports, “I was devastated. Everything I’ve worked for to create a new relationship between the U.S. and Ukraine was completely destroyed today.”
Earlier that day, Graham met with Zelensky along with Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). He urged Zelensky to “stay on message” and remain “grateful” for U.S. support. He also advised Zelensky not to push for U.S. security guarantees during his meeting with Trump in the Oval Office.
Now, Graham questions whether the U.S. can continue supporting Ukraine if Zelensky stays in power. He asked, “Is he redeemable in the eyes of Americans?” Graham believes that many Americans, after witnessing the exchange, would no longer want Zelensky as a partner in this effort. “Most Americans witnessing what they saw today would not want Zelensky to be their business partner, including me,” he said.
Before the meeting, Trump had been “upbeat” about the potential minerals deal, according to Graham. Now, Graham is calling for Zelensky to apologize to Trump, or face serious consequences.
Graham suggested Zelensky should admit his mistake and apologize. “I want him to say, ‘I screwed up big time for my country and for the U.S. relationship. If I had to do it over again, I’d do it differently and I’m sorry.’”
“If he can’t say that,” Graham warned, “then Ukraine needs to either send us somebody new we can deal with or accept the consequences.”
During the meeting, Trump criticized Zelensky for not showing enough appreciation for U.S. support, telling him, “You’re right now, not really in a very good position. You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position.” Trump added, “You don’t have the cards right now.”
Zelensky fired back, saying, “I’m not playing cards.”
The tension in the meeting escalated, and national security adviser Mike Waltz asked the Ukrainian delegation to leave. The White House also canceled a planned signing ceremony for the U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal.
Senators Coons and Klobuchar, who met with Zelensky earlier and later posed for a selfie at the White House, had a very different view of the situation.
Klobuchar defended Zelensky on social media, challenging Vice President Vance for asking Zelensky if he had ever “said ‘thank you’ once” for U.S. support. “Answer to Vance: Zelensky has thanked our country over and over again both privately and publicly. And our country thanks HIM and the Ukrainian patriots who have stood up to a dictator,” she wrote on X.
Coons also supported Zelensky, saying, “Every time I’ve met with President Zelensky, he’s thanked the American people for our strong support. We owe him our thanks for leading a nation fighting on the front lines of democracy – not the public berating he received at the White House.”
You can watch Graham’s interview in the clips below from Fox News.
Lindsey Graham calls on Zelenskyy to apologize for disrespecting Trump and Vance pic.twitter.com/n3pd8Q4lr2
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 28, 2025
Lindsay Graham said on FOX that Zelensky should use his scheduled interview with Bret Baier to apologize and tell the world that he “screwed up big time.”
Graham who met with Zelensky this morning said “Zelensky is going to have to fundamentally change or go.” pic.twitter.com/Ay3G6uAd0O
— Robert Jimison (@RobertJimison) February 28, 2025
