After accusing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office of being ungrateful for the aid the U.S. has provided his country since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and threatening to pause additional aid and intelligence to Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to reportedly discuss a ceasefire.
On Wednesday, Trump reported that he also had a “very good call” with Zelensky and claimed that ceasefire talks are “on track.”
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a longtime Russia hawk who responded to the invasion of Ukraine by tweeting about Putin that “the only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out,” and who in 2023 praised the International Criminal Court (ICC) for issuing an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes carried out by Russia in Ukraine, is now praising Trump’s negotiation efforts.
Graham wrote on X: “I very much appreciate President @realDonaldTrump and his team’s leadership in trying to end the war between Russia and Ukraine on just and honorable terms. President Trump’s personal leadership is making all the difference in the world.
I very much appreciate President @realDonaldTrump and his team’s leadership in trying to end the war between Russia and Ukraine on just and honorable terms. President Trump’s personal leadership is making all the difference in the world. ⁰
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) March 19, 2025
I am also confident that President… https://t.co/DlJqc6muQc
Graham added: “I am also confident that President Zelensky is ready to come to the table, and has passed the test of wanting a ceasefire and peace. I hope over time this will also be true for Vladimir Putin, but only time will tell. When it comes to Putin, ‘trust but verify’ is a good way to begin the conversation.
“I strongly believe,” Graham wrote, “that President Trump is the only leader in the world who can end this war soon and in a way that makes sure this conflict does not reemerge later.”
Note: After Trump’s calls and his report that a ceasefire is “on track,” the two countries traded strikes overnight. The New York Times reported Thursday morning: “Ukraine attacked an airfield deep inside Russian territory overnight” and Russia “launched 171 drones, 63 of which were shot down by air defenses. At least five people were killed and 26 injured across the country, according to local authorities.”
Democrats are criticizing Graham’s comments including one from California who replied: “You don’t trust and verify with Putin. You never can trust him. There is nothing that ever points to him keeping his word. You verify, verify, verify and always watch your back. Stop this pandering to Trump and be a real leader. You know damn well Putin can never be trusted.”
Another chimed in: “Trust but verify? You said you couldn’t wait to see Putin on trial in the Hague! Is that where Putin will sign a peace agreement?”
Graham’s previous statements on Putin and Ukraine invite the scrutiny and criticism. The Senator had previously said that the only acceptable way out of the war was through a Ukraine victory and last summer Graham scolded fellow Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) for not understanding Putin’s thirst on empire, which Graham said was unquenchable.
“If you spent 15 minutes studying Putin and what he wants, he wants to recreate the Russian Empire. He’s not gonna stop in Ukraine,” Graham said in June 2024. “It’s not about NATO, it’s not about American weapons in Ukraine, it’s about a megalomaniac wanting to create the Russian Empire by force of arms. If you don’t stop him, there goes Taiwan.”
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