Tuberville calls Zelensky "an absolute disgrace" after White House outburst

February 28, 2025 – WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ukraine is running out of men to place on its frontlines going into the fourth year of its war with Russia and it may also be running out of American arms as well after a shocking exchange at the White House that devolved into a shouting match between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, President Donald J. Trump (R), and Vice President J.D. Vance (R). U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) called Zelensky's outburst "an absolute disgrace" afterwards on his X social media account.

"Thank God for the leadership of President Trump and Vice President Vance," said Tuberville. "Zelenskyy is an absolute disgrace. He has happily taken the $220 billion American taxpayer dollars that Joe Biden gave him without showing an ounce of gratitude or delivering any results."

Sen. Tuberville has consistently opposed the U.S.'s funding of the Ukrainian war effort.

"We should not send Ukraine another cent," Tuberville added.

Ukraine used American weaponry to crush Russia's original invasion. President Vladimir's Putin's forces were defeated literally in the streets of Kiev three years ago. A Russian amphibious invasion of Ukraine similarly met with disaster between unexpected bravery on the part of the Ukrainian armed forces and the terrible effectiveness of American missiles against tanks, armored personal carriers, helicopters, ships, and aircraft. Ukraine launched a massive counter offensive in August of 2022 that by December had retaken most of the territory that Russia had taken in the first six months of the war. Since then the Russian forces have gone back to "old school" attrition tactics and Ukraine has not fared so well. The U.S. has supplied Ukraine with 155 mm howitzers, Lancer missiles. Patriot missiles, Stinger missiles, air defense systems, drones, laser guided precision ordinance, the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) vehicles, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, M1 Abrams main battle tanks, F16 fighter jets, longer range missiles that has struck targets deep inside Russia, and more in an effort to prolong the war.

In late 2024 (against the Pentagon's advice) Zelensky invaded Russia itself taking Russian forces by surprise and seizing substantial territory creating a new front in the war in the Kursk area. Those losses were embarrassing to Putin; but all the men and material that Ukraine took off the battlefield in that desperate gamble have proven costly to Ukraine in the Donbas and in the south where Russian forces have steadily been advancing (at great cost) since Christmas. Now battle-hardened Russian commanders appear poised to launch a new counter offensive this spring – a counteroffensive that Ukraine is not well positioned to defend against without a further influx of American aid. More American aid now appears extremely unlikely after the heated exchange between Zelensky and the American leaders.

President Trump had hoped to have a peace deal in place ending the war in Ukraine during his first 100 days in office. Zelensky angrily rejected that demand in the Oval Office on Friday.

"We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today," President Trump said on Truth Social on Friday. "Much was learned that could never be understood without conversation under such fire and pressure. It's amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations. I don't want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace."

Zelensky's break with the Americans comes at a bad time politically.

Germany has steadfastly supported Ukraine; but German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left Social Democrats just suffered their worst performance in a national parliamentary election in a lifetime. Friedrich Merz's opposition center-right conservative Union bloc won the election; but the anti-immigration and pro Russia far right Alternative for Germany (AFD) party was the number 2 party – doubling its previous performance. Mertz has vowed to form a coalition government that does not include the right wing AFD forcing him to deal somehow with the just renounced Social Democrats who finished in third or the hyper environmentalist Greens, Germany becoming more involved in Ukraine could be difficult under the circumstances for Merz.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) – a staunch Republican ally of Ukraine – called Zelensky's meeting at the White House "devastating" and suggested that he may need to resign.

"Devastated. Everything I ... have been working for to try to get a new relationship with the United States around a critical minerals deal beneficial to both of us was completely obliterated today," Graham said on Fox News's "America Reports."

"The question for me is, 'Is he redeemable in the eyes of Americans?" Graham said of Zelensky.. "Most Americans witnessing what they saw today would not want Zelensky to be their business partner, including me, and I've been to Ukraine nine times since the war started."

Graham, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware.) and Sen Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) had met with Zelensky on Friday morning.

Tuberville has never supported U.S. efforts to support Ukraine and has voted against every aid package that the eastern European country has received to this point.

(Original reporting by the Hill and Fox News contributed to this report.)