WASHINGTON — A Republican congressman from Texas who once chaired the House Foreign Affairs Committee says he believes President Donald Trump is realizing “who the real [Vladimir] Putin is” after Russia killed civilians in two recent airstrikes in Ukraine as the Trump administration was trying to broker a peace deal to end the war there.
Months after their Oval Office spat in late February, President Trump and Ukranian President Volodymr Zelenskyy met at the Vatican right before attending Pope Francis’ funeral. The Trump administration has been trying to broker peace talks to end Russia’s war on Ukraine. Former Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul believes the meeting signals a shift in President Trump's thinking of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
When asked if that meeting surprised him, especially after the heated exchange at the Oval Office between Trump and Zelenskyy, McCaul said, “That was an unfortunate, maybe misunderstanding. I think, honestly, it would have been nice if they had just gone in, signed the deal, come out, and done a press conference. I think if you put yourself in Zelenskyy’s shoes, you know, look, Putin has been killing his people, 200,000 children taken hostage, abducted. So, he’s obviously in a state of fog of war.”
Trump has blamed Zelenskyy for prolonging the war by not giving up Russia-occupied areas, but Trump recently criticized Putin as well.
On social media, Trump wrote, “There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days. It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through “Banking” or “Secondary Sanctions?” Too many people are dying!!!”
McCaul said he believes the only way there will be a fair deal is to put more pressure on Putin.
“We’ve asked Ukraine for a lot of concessions, which they’re willing to sign half of their country’s mineral rights over to the United States without a security guarantee. That’s pretty remarkable, when you think about it, whereas Putin has made no concessions. There’s supposed to be a ceasefire, but Putin’s response was to bomb Kyiv on Palm Sunday. I think that was a wake up call, and I think you saw a shift in public sentiment,” McCaul told Spectrum News. “I think that President Trump now is seeing the real nature of who Putin really is.”
The U.S. and Ukraine signed a deal, giving the U.S. access to rare minerals and other natural resources in Ukraine. The deal gives Trump a vested interest in Ukraine’s future and perhaps keeps open the possibility that Ukraine will have access to American aid. Although Trump and other Republicans worry the U.S. has offered Ukraine a blank check.
When asked if there will be another package of the Republican-led Congress for Ukraine, McCaul said, “Putin will determine that.”
“it would be difficult. We did pass the last one, which again, had we not I think Russia would be occupying Ukraine today, there are still monies available. There’s a presidential drawdown authority to send more weapons in. They have quite a few, and now Europe is sending in more and more of these weapon systems,” McCaul continued.
He called the Ukrainians “hardened warriors.”
“They’re fiercely independent, and it reminds me of our own country being fiercely independent from a dictator,” McCaul said. “I don’t have a lot of trust in Mr. Putin and what he’s trying to do, and the only language he understands is force. So if you want a fair negotiation, I think pressure needs to be applied to him.”
Sec. of State Marco Rubio has suggested the U.S. may walk away from trying to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine if there’s no progress. When asked if the U.S. should continue its role in the negotiations, McCaul said he is always for communication and that a war of attrition would not be good for the Russian economy.