(NewsNation) — The recent Oval Office spat between Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy is raising serious questions about the future of the U.S.-Ukraine alliance.
In a social media post Monday, Trump admonished Zelenskyy for saying the end of its war with Russia is “still very, very far away.”
The president called the comment the “worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy” and added that “America will not put up with it for much longer!”
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said there is a rift in the countries’ relationship and accused Zelenskyy of standing against freedom.
“Many of these European countries who are coming to Zelenskyy’s side as he walked out of the White House saying basically that they are going to support him in continuing this war, and that they don’t stand with us around these fundamental values of freedom,” Gabbard said on “Fox News Sunday.”
National security adviser Mike Waltz and House Speaker Mike Johnson have also joined a growing chorus of Republicans who think Ukraine might be better off finding a new leader.
“Something has to change. 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,” Johnson told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
On Breitbart’s radio show, Waltz likened Zelenskyy to an “ex-girlfriend” who brings up old issues rather than focusing on the future.
“No, look, he’s clearly solely focused on believing he needs to fact-check and correct every nuance,” Waltz said.
GOP lawmakers divided on Trump-Zelenskyy feud
But some Republican lawmakers, such as Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, have dissented from their party’s approval of Friday’s meeting.
On Saturday, Murkowski lamented the situation on social media: “I am sick to my stomach as the administration appears to be walking away from our allies and embracing Putin, a threat to democracy and U.S. values around the world.”
Lankford, R-Okla., said it was inappropriate for senators to call for Zelenskyy to resign and predicted that such a move would “spiral Ukraine into chaos right now.”
On the heels of the tense clash in the Oval Office, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reportedly paused all U.S. Cyber Command actions against Russia indefinitely — including possible digital offensives by the Pentagon.
This comes as Moscow celebrates the White House’s position. A Kremlin spokesperson said the Trump administration’s new approach aligns with Russia’s vision.
Zelenskyy thanks US after Trump altercation
For his part, Zelenskyy seems to be trying to get things back on track.
During a summit with European leaders in London over the weekend, Zelenskyy recommitted to signing a rare earth minerals deal with the U.S. That deal was originally meant to go public during Friday’s White House visit.
Zelenskyy also stressed Ukraine’s gratitude to the U.S., writing on social media Sunday:
“We are very grateful to the United States for all the support. I’m thankful to President Trump, Congress for their bipartisan support, and American people. Ukrainians have always appreciated this support, especially during these three years of full-scale invasion.”
UK summit drafts peace plan for Ukraine
At Saturday’s summit, European leaders bolstered support for Ukraine and drafted a ceasefire plan for presentation to the U.S.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also promised a $2 billion deal to fund air-defense missiles for Ukraine.
“Because my reaction was we have to bridge this, we have to find a way that we can all work together because in the end we’ve had three years of bloody conflict now, we need to get to that lasting peace,” Starmer told the BBC.
Early chatter of a peace deal involves a temporary truce lasting around one month, but how soon that deal could come — and if it will include security guarantees — remains uncertain.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.