WASHINGTON — The day after President Donald Trump cut off U.S. aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russian invaders and hours before the president’s address to a joint session of Congress, Republican lawmakers who have long backed Ukraine were displeased with the aid pause but wary of critiquing their party’s leader.

The pushback on Trump’s antagonistic position toward Ukraine and President Volodmyr Zelenskyy comes after the Oval Office blowout among the two countries’ presidents and Vice President JD Vance last week and as an economic deal focused on access to Ukraine’s minerals remains in flux. On Tuesday, Zelenskyy reiterated his desire to sign the economic deal, expressed gratitude to the United States for its support and called the Oval Office meeting “regrettable.”

What You Need To Know

  • Republican lawmakers who have long backed Ukraine were displeased with President Donald Trump's aid pause but wary of critiquing him

  • Senate Majority John Thune, R-S.D., called the dispute “unfortunate,” but cautioned that Trump’s pause was “not a stop and I think it’s designed to get the players to the table”

  • Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker, R-Miss., told CNN separately that Zelenskyy’s follow up on Tuesday was “a very positive sign,” but that he wanted “to refrain from saying anything that might interfere with that”
  • Other Republicans who more closely align with Trump’s foreign policy vision were quick to praise him

In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Senate Majority John Thune, R-S.D., called the dispute “unfortunate,” but cautioned that Trump’s pause was “not a stop and I think it’s designed to get the players to the table." He pointed to Zelenskyy’s latest comments and expressed hope “that it’ll lead to a successful outcome in the end.”

“You don't want America to become isolationist,” Thune said. “Now, again, what form America's involvement support takes is a matter of debate. And, you know, we can talk about whether a soft power, hard power, what components that that ultimately entails. But I think in the end, people look to us to be a leader, and we have to provide that leadership.”

Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker, R-Miss., told CNN separately that Zelenskyy’s follow-up on Tuesday was “a very positive sign,” but that “I think that it’s incumbent on people like me to take a deep breath, to let the process take place as it appears to be doing and to refrain from saying anything that might interfere with that.”

“There’s been too much rhetoric, and so I think it’s time for me to be silent,” Wicker said. 

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, a longtime supporter of Ukraine’s effort and a Republican up for reelection in a swing state in 2026, said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was likely “loving a pause” in aid from the U.S. And Maine Sen. Susan Collins said she did not believe the U.S. should pause aid as Ukrainians “are shedding blood.”

Other Republicans who more closely align with Trump’s foreign policy vision were quick to praise him. 

“Most Americans didn't know where Ukraine was on a map five years ago, and now we're suddenly thrust into this financially and we are not getting anything on the backside of this and it's just a stalemate,” Florida Rep. Greg Steube said on Fox News.

Vance, who was at the Capitol on Tuesday morning, told reporters he believed the president “is still committed to the mineral deal” and expressed optimism the relationship with Ukraine could be mended. But he accused Zelenskyy of not being “willing to negotiate in good faith.”

“The Russians can't continue this thing forever. The Ukrainians can't continue forever. And most importantly, the United States can't continue it forever,” Vance told reporters. 

Democrats in Washington who commented on the aid pause were critical. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi told Spectrum News the Oval Office meeting took the U.S. “to the depths of hell” and said the pause was “appalling” and “sad,” but is hopeful the pause won’t be permanent.

“For 250 years, the United States has supported democracy,” Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., wrote on social media. “Now, in the middle of a horrific war that Putin started, Trump is turning his back on Ukraine and democracy, all to the benefit of a brutal dictator in Moscow.”

Republicans out of power were more willing to criticize Trump. Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, who served as Trump’s national security adviser during his first term, told CBS News that Putin “couldn’t be happier” about Trump’s tactics “because what he sees is all of the pressure on Zelenskyy, all of the pressure on Ukraine and no pressure on him.”

And recently retired Utah Sen. Mitt Romney wrote on social media that the U.S. shouldn’t let “personal squabbles weaken our resolve to stand with the freedom fighters and to oppose the authoritarian aggressors.”

“Lasting peace will only be achieved if America demonstrates strength and resolve and if Ukraine is certain that it will not be invaded again,” Romney wrote. “Anything short of that would elicit only temporary celebration; it would open the door to global conflicts that we may be unable to contain.”

Spectrum News' Cassie Semyon contributed to this report.