The Republican accused the Trump administration of sending “mixed signals” on peace talks with Russia.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) called Sunday on the Trump administration to refocus its energy on defending Ukraine’s sovereignty in peace talks with Russia.
Bacon said the White House was sending “mixed signals” regarding the ongoing negotiations with Russian and Ukrainian officials as bipartisan criticism of an initial 28-point peace plan grows louder.
“I would like to see the president be a stronger advocate for the free country, the sovereign country of Ukraine that wants to be a democracy, wants to be allied with us, and have a little more clear-eyed view of who Putin is, that Putin is the invader,” Bacon said during an interview on ABC’s “This Week” with Jonathan Karl.
“He’s the dictator. He has murdered all of his opponents. But I just don’t see that moral clarity coming from the White House.”
The initial proposal — which Bacon described as “a surrender document” — echoed many of the key demands of the Kremlin, including territorial concessions from Ukraine and limits on the size of its military.
That plan sparked bipartisan backlash and skepticism from Europe as U.S. allies warn that the proposal lacks key security guarantees for Ukraine. Senior officials from the U.S. and Russia met in Abu Dhabi last week to iron out the details of the plan, and Ukraine has reportedly agreed to the broad strokes of a new, slimmed-down 19-point agreement.
Top-ranking Ukrainian officials were set to meet with American counterparts in the United States on Sunday to continue talks as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attempts to manage a growing corruption scandal at home. European allies have warmed to the plan, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling it “a starting point,” but several sticking points remain to be worked out.
Still, Bacon — who sits on the House Armed Services Committee — said he hopes for President Donald Trump to more forcefully call out Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression.
“We need moral clarity dealing with Putin,” Bacon said. “He does not want a peace agreement with Ukraine that leaves Ukraine a sovereign country, that can be allied with the West, that can be part of the EU and free markets. He wants to control another third of Ukraine. He would like to make Ukraine a vassal state. So I don’t know why the administration keeps pursuing the pointless here.”
He added that the U.S. should be focused on arming Ukraine with the weapons and air defense systems it needs to fend off Russian attacks as opposed to “a foreign policy based on greed” that centers agreements on rare earth minerals and natural gas pipelines.