House Speaker Mike Johnson has admonished Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyās behavior toward President Trump on Friday while also warning that Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin canāt be trusted.
Johnson (R-La.) ā saying he was aghast at the cringe-worthy public Oval Office spat between Trump, Zelensky and Veep JD Vance ā left open the possibility that āsomeone else needs to leadā Ukraine if its leader doesnāt ācome to his sensesā and apologize to the commander in chief.
āI have participated in a lot of bilateral meetings in my time with heads of state and other dignitaries,ā Johnson, 53, told NBCās āMeet the Pressā on Sunday. āIāve never seen anything like President Zelenskyās behavior there.
āHe berated and interrupted his host instead of expressing gratitude for the extraordinary help that the US has provided his country, and effectively helped him stay alive and stay in power,ā the Republican speaker. āThe way that that went down was very disappointing.ā
On Friday, Zelensky, 47, got into a heated back-and-forth with Trump, 78, in front of the cameras after pushing back against key aspects of the presidentās plan to end the war between Ukraine and Russia.
The heated confrontation took place after Zelensky questioned Vanceās insistence that Ukraine conduct diplomacy with Russia despite Putinās lengthy track record of violating agreements.
Trump later booted Zelensky from the White House, and the two sides declined to sign the mineral rights agreement that they had been expected to during that visit.
Johnson has a mixed record on supporting Ukraine, having voted against tranches of aid to it in the past, then last year putting his speakership at risk by bringing up a roughly $60.8 billion Ukraine aid package for a vote on the House floor.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) torged ahead with a motion to oust him from his leadership position in response, something that Democrats ultimately helped shoot down.
The GOP House speaker has since publicly stated that there is no political appetite in the lower chamber for another massive package to assist war-torn Ukraine.
As for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, āPresident Trump is the only figure on the entire globe who is powerful enough to bring both of these parties to the table,ā Johnson said. āBut President Zelensky went in and blew it up. And it is such a great disappointment for everyone.
āWe need to get him back to the table, we need to get Ukraine to express gratitude, of course, for all that weāve done for them,ā the House leader said.
Johnson was adamant that GOPers have been tough on Putin, too, calling it āabsurdā for anyone to suggest that Trump or Republicans are on the Kremlinās side and reiterating that Russia āprovoked the war.ā
On CNNās āState of the Unionā on Sunday, Johnson blasted Putin as an āold-school communistā and a āformer KGB agentā who is ānot to be trusted.
āWe have to bring about an end to this war in Ukraine. Putin is the aggressor,ā Johnson said. āIt is an unjust war. We have been crystal clear about that.
āThe way I view this is that China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are engaged in a new axis powers, and they are not on Americaās side,ā he said. āLetās be crystal clear about that. You have to walk circumspectly in these perilous times on the world stage.ā
In a stark departure from the Biden administrationās policies, Trump has maneuvered to position himself as a more neutral intermediary between the two warring countries rather than strictly backing Ukraine.
āPresident Trump said very clearly, āTrust but verify,ā ā Johnson noted, referring to talks between the US and Russia to end the war. āHe is trying to be the change agent to broker a peace and an end to this conflict.ā
Some Republicans have expressed queasiness over Trumpās and Vanceās approaches to Zelensky on Friday.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said that she was āsick to my stomachā over it.
āI think Senator Murkowskiās view on this is plainly wrong,ā Johnson said. āThe person who walked away from the table ā¦ was President Zelensky.
āPresident Zelensky, instead of showing gratitude ā he interrupted and berated his hosts at a very perilous time for his country. He should have been anxious, I think, to enter into this agreement,ā Johnson added, referring to the mineral rights agreement.