- GOP Russia hawks criticize Trump’s Ukraine plan.
- They say it rewards Russian aggression unfairly.
- Plan demands Ukraine cede territory, limit military.
Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) have expressed disapproval of the plan, which would see Ukraine cede Crimea, Donbas, Luhansk, and portions of Kherson and Zaporizhia; set restrictions on Kyiv's military; and indefinitely obstruct a pathway to NATO membership.
McConnell likened the plan to former President Joe Biden's hurried withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. McConnell has not refrained from criticizing the White House on defense and international affairs since Trump was reelected last year.
“Putin has spent the entire year trying to play President Trump for a fool,”
he said in a statement Friday.
“If Administration officials are more concerned with appeasing Putin than securing real peace, then the President ought to find new advisors. Rewarding Russian butchery would be disastrous to America’s interests. And a capitulation like Biden’s abandonment of Afghanistan would be catastrophic to a legacy of peace through strength.”
Wicker expressed his doubts that the "so-called 'peace plan'" might bring about true peace in a Friday post on X, outlining his resistance to reducing the strength of Ukraine's armed forces.
“The size and disposition of Ukraine’s armed forces is a sovereign choice for its government and people,” he wrote. “And any assurances provided to Putin should not reward his malign behavior or undermine the security of the United States or allies.”
The president's abrupt drive for peace has alarmed many Republicans, not just the three senators. a group of members in the House under the leadership of Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Penn.).
Experts warn that the 28-point plan, which was created with Russian assistance, may actually jeopardize Ukraine's efforts to achieve lasting peace, while Ukraine's European partners are furious.
However, given the domestic scandal facing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the White House feels that now is its greatest opportunity to put pressure on him to make peace. He has less than a week until Thanksgiving to accept the idea, according to the administration.
“We’re trying to get it ended. One way or the other, we have to get it ended,”
Trump told reporters outside the White House when asked whether the deal sent to Zelenskyy was his final offer.
“He can continue to fight his little heart out.”
How are GOP Russia hawks defining their objections to the plan?
GOP Russia hawks define their expostulations to DonaldTrump’s Ukraine peace offer primarily around enterprises that the plan dangerously appeases Russia and undermines Ukraine’s sovereignty and security. They argue the offer rewards Vladimir Putin’s aggression by allowing Russia to retain control over enthralled homes without responsibility.
They emphasize that the plan’s demands for Ukraine to limit its military capabilities and abandon NATO intentions weaken Ukraine’s capability to defend itself against unborn Russian irruptions.
GOP hawks frame their expostulations as a defense of Ukraine’s independence and a commitment to uphold strong warrants and military support, rather than quick concessions that could peril U.S. interests and confederated security arrangements in the region.