Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy defiantly responded to Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-SC) recent remarks, which called for his resignation following a tense meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House last week, during which both parties walked away without a deal. Graham, who previously advocated for the United States to increase its financial assistance to Ukraine, surprisingly sided with Trump and urged Zelenskyy to step down. In response, Zelenskyy dismissed Graham’s comments, emphasizing the significance of Ukraine's leadership in the ongoing war with Russia and expressing confidence in his role despite international criticism.
“I can give [Lindsay Graham] citizenship of Ukraine and he will become a citizen of our country. And then his voice will start to gain weight. The president of Ukraine will not be chosen in Lindsey Graham’s house but in Ukraine,” Zelesnkyy told reporters.
“To change me, it will not be easy because it is not enough to simply hold elections. You would need to prevent me from participating. And it will be a bit more difficult,” he continued, reiterating that he would resign from office if it meant Ukraine could join NATO.
Graham followed up on Zelenskyy’s comments, pointing out that “until there is an election, no one has a voice in Ukraine.”
Unfortunately, until there is an election, no one has a voice in Ukraine. https://t.co/kLuVlRiRqw
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) March 2, 2025
On Sunday, I reported on Graham’s remarks, in which he called Zelenskyy’s confrontation with Trump in the Oval Office a “complete, utter disaster.”
The senator suggested that Zelenskyy blew any future negotiations for Ukraine with the U.S. He believed if “most Americans saw a guy that they would not want to go in business with.”
Zelenskyy confirmed that talks between Ukraine and the Trump administration have taken place since his Friday clash with the president. However, he noted that the conversation was "not on my level.”
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