An Oval Office showdown between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would have been cheered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, who served as Mr. Trump’s national security adviser during his first administration.
The U.S. imposed sanctions on Russia and provided aid to Ukraine after the war began but last month, Mr. Trump flipped U.S. policy on its head. He opened peace talks with Russia, which occupies 20% of Ukraine while bombing the rest, and did not invite Ukraine. Then on Friday, he berated Zelenskyy during an explosive Oval Office meeting.
“Vladimir Putin couldn’t be happier,” McMaster, who is a CBS News contributor, said. “Because what he sees is all of the pressure on Zelenskyy, all of the pressure on Ukraine and no pressure on him.”
Trump and Russia
During his Friday Oval Office meeting with Zelenskyy, Mr. Trump revealed something of a common cause with the Russian president. Mr. Trump complained that he and Putin had both been slandered for years by allegations that Russia helped Mr. Trump’s campaigns, allegations the U.S. president ties to his Democratic opponents.
“Putin went through a hell of a lot with me. He went through a phony witch hunt where they used him and Russia, Russia,” Mr. Trump said.
McMaster, who was ousted by Mr. Trump in 2018, said Putin has manipulated many world leaders, including the U.S. commander in chief.
60 Minutes
“He appeals to President Trump’s sense of aggrievement, right? That, you know, ‘Donald, you know, like me, you know, you’ve been treated so unfairly,'” McMaster said. “And he’s been very successful at it because he’s a master manipulator and one of the best liars in the world.”
The president, McMaster said, is being played.
“And he’s being played like other presidents have been played, like other leaders have been played, through that same playbook of Putin’s,” McMaster said.
Fact-checking President Trump’s claims on Ukraine
Mr. Trump, who’s boasted that only he can end the war quickly, has repeatedly made false claims about Ukraine. Last month, he suggested that Ukraine was responsible for Russia’s invasion, saying “You should never have started it.”
Ukraine did not start the war. Fighting erupted just over three years ago with Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
The president also said the U.S. gave $350 billion toward Ukraine. It’s $122 billion, according to Kiel Institute data.
He’s also gone after Zelenskyy.
“A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left,” Mr. Trump said on Feb. 19 in a Truth Social post.
Zelenskyy is not a dictator. He was elected in 2019. There hasn’t been a vote since because of the war.
McMaster addressed some of Mr. Trump’s claims on Zelenskyy and Ukraine in recent weeks.
“Well, President Trump, as we all know, has a tendency to say outlandish things. Sometimes that’s to shake the situation up,” he said.
The shifting U.S. relationship with Ukraine
Mr. Trump also doesn’t always consider how his words could hurt his agenda or how they could be received abroad, McMaster said.
“War really is a contest of wills, and I think what you’re seeing is Donald Trump delivering a series of body blows to the Ukrainians in a way that could affect, you know, their will to continue to fight,” McMaster said.
Ukraine’s allies were likely confused by the meeting, according to McMaster.
“They think, you know, ‘How can President Trump be berating the leader of Ukraine while he says kind things about Vladimir Putin?”
Immediately after the Oval Office fight, many Republicans rallied around the president. On X, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said America was “disrespected” during the Oval Office meeting. He said he was proud of both the president and vice president for “standing up for America First.”
After the meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X: “Thank you @POTUS for standing up for America in a way that no President has ever had the courage to do before. Thank you for putting America First. America is with you!”
But some lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed concerns. Republican Rep. Don Bacon, a retired Air Force brigadier general, stood by Ukraine when he spoke with 60 Minutes before the Oval Office fight.
60 Minutes
“America’s the leader of the free world. We’re the indispensable power. Nobody can stand up to Russia and China if we’re not a part of that. And Ukraine’s the victim,” Bacon said. “And I think Putin has made clear that he wants to reestablish his old borders and that’s not in our national security interest. So, to me, this is a national security issue, also a moral issue.”
He said it appears as though Mr. Trump is appeasing Putin.
“I don’t know his motives. Some people think he’s doin’ this for negotiating and maybe he’ll get a better deal. I don’t know,” Bacon said. “All I know is what he says, and when he says that Russia is not the invader, that it’s Ukraine’s fault, that’s just wrong.”
While other Republican lawmakers rushed to condemn President Zelenskyy after the Oval Office meeting, calling him disrespectful to President Trump, Bacon stood by Ukraine’s president, saying on social media that this was “A bad day for America’s foreign policy. Ukraine wants independence, free markets and rule of law. It wants to be part of the West. Russia hates us and our Western values. We should be clear that we stand for freedom.”
Sen. Angus King, an Independent from Maine serving on the Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, said he was ashamed when the U.S. recently sided with Russia at the United Nations, joining Russia in voting against a Europe-backed Ukrainian resolution.
“I always try to think of, you know, what’s the argument on both sides? I cannot think of a rational argument for pulling our support from Ukraine,” King told 60 Minutes.
King likes to point out that Europe has given more to Ukraine than the U.S. and Ukraine has given the most.
“They’ve done the dying. All they’ve asked for us is to send them the means to defend themselves,” he said.
King called for members of Congress to speak up.
“Because if we persist in walking away from Ukraine, it will be the greatest geopolitical mistake that this country’s made since World War II,” he said.
