Lindsey Graham Caves, Sides With Trump After Zelenskyy’s Oval Office Outburst

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), once one of Ukraine’s most vocal allies in the Republican Party, delivered a stunning reversal on Friday, casting serious doubt on whether the United States can continue working with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Appearing in front of reporters, Graham described Zelenskyy’s heated confrontation with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office as a “complete, utter disaster,” saying that he had “never been more proud” of Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance for standing firm.

“I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelenskyy again,” Graham said. “I think most Americans saw a guy that they would not want to go in business with.”

Graham, who has visited Ukraine multiple times since Russia’s invasion, said he initially hoped for a breakthrough on a minerals deal that would have been “transformative” for U.S.-Ukraine relations. However, after witnessing Zelenskyy’s behavior, Graham indicated the situation had reached a breaking point.

“What I saw in the Oval Office was disrespectful,” Graham said. “[Zelenskyy] was terrible at Munich, and now he’s made it almost impossible to sell to the American people that he’s a good investment.”

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The fallout comes after an extraordinary scene in the White House, where Trump reportedly asked Zelenskyy to leave following what insiders described as an “aggressive” exchange over U.S. assistance to Ukraine.

Graham’s comments mark a significant shift in the political landscape. The South Carolina senator had been a staunch advocate for continued aid to Ukraine, frequently defending U.S. assistance as a necessary deterrent against Russian aggression.

With a new administration taking a hardline approach, the message to Kyiv is clear: the blank check days are over. Graham even went as far as to suggest that Zelenskyy either resign or completely change his approach if he hopes to maintain U.S. support.

“He either needs to resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change,” Graham said when pressed on what comes next.

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Graham’s about-face is likely to have major implications for Ukraine policy on Capitol Hill. Once a vocal supporter of aiding Kyiv, the senator now echoes the sentiment of an increasing number of Republicans who question whether continuing to back Zelenskyy is in America’s best interest.

“The question for me, for the Ukrainian people—I don’t know if Zelenskyy can ever get you where you want to go with the United States,” Graham said according to Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman. “Either he dramatically changes, or you gotta get someone new.”

Following the Oval Office clash, Zelenskyy cut his U.S. visit short, canceling a scheduled press conference and leaving Washington under a cloud of uncertainty.

The dramatic fallout is the latest sign of shifting American priorities under Trump. With Vice President Vance leading the charge against what he has called “reckless” foreign entanglements, Ukraine’s ability to secure further U.S. aid appears increasingly uncertain.

The Trump administration has instead touted a $500 billion minerals deal, which it claims would create a “new relationship” between the U.S. and Ukraine—one rooted in mutual economic benefit rather than unchecked military aid. However, given the events of the past 24 hours, the future of that deal is now unclear.

With Trump and Vance steering the Republican Party in a more America-first direction, it’s becoming clear that Ukraine’s days of receiving unwavering U.S. backing may be coming to an end.