Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, issued a sharp rebuke of President Donald Trump’s explosive exchange with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday.
"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,” Murkowski said in a social media post.
She wrote on X on Saturday: "This week started with administration officials refusing to acknowledge that Russia started the war in Ukraine. It ends with a tense, shocking conversation in the Oval Office and whispers from the White House that they may try to end all U.S. support for Ukraine."
Ukrainian President Volodymy Zelensky and US Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski meet in Kyiv on April 12, 2023. Photo: US Embassy Kyiv, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
She added: "I know foreign policy is not for the faint of heart, but right now, 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."
Murkowski's statement was a rare Republican voice of dissent as most of her party rallied behind Trump's increasingly combative stance on Ukraine, the Politico news service reported.
Politicians from across Europe and beyond have reaffirmed their support for Ukraine after a tense meeting between Trump and Zelensky on Friday turned into a shouting match over Russia's war and Washington's assistance to Kyiv.
Polish ruling politicians sent messages of support for Ukraine after Zelensky's clash with Trump.
Zelensky left the White House on Friday without securing further aid or obtaining security guarantees, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
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Source: onet.pl, politico.com