No one should be surprised about the reaction our elected leaders voiced following the breakdown of negotiations between Republican President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

PBS reported that GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina called the meeting between the two leaders a “complete, utter disaster” and said he’s “never been more proud” of Trump.

Graham said, “I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelenskyy again … The way he handled the meeting, the way he confronted the president was just over the top. He either needs to resign and send somebody over that we can do business with or he needs to change.”

Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas had a short message for Zelenskyy: “Not another penny.”

Perhaps the best Democratic response came from Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut.

Murphy said, “It was a planned ambush designed to embarrass President Zelenskyy in order to benefit (Russian President) Vladimir Putin. That was an embarrassment. That was an abomination. What you watched was American power being destroyed in the world as everybody watches President Trump become the lapdog for a brutal dictator in Moscow.”

Republican Secretary of State Marco Rubio of Florida said, “Thank you @POTUS for standing up for America in a way that no president has ever had the courage to do before. Thank you for putting America First. America is with you.”

Rubio has obviously forgotten about President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s speech to Congress after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1981.

Roosevelt said, “I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the utmost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us….

“I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.”

Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska offered a thoughtful and more neutral response.

“A bad day for America’s foreign policy. Ukraine wants independence, free markets and rule of law. It wants to be a part of the West. Russia hates us and our Western values. We should be clear that we stand for freedom,” Bacon said.

GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania offered a constructive analysis of what should happen.

Fitzpatrick said, “It was heartbreaking to witness the turn of events that transpired in today’s meeting regarding Ukraine’s future. It is time to put understandable emotions aside and come back to the negotiation table.”

Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who has been a champion of the free press, had an answer for GOP Vice President JD Vance whose comments started the Oval office argument.

She said, “Answer to Vance: Zelenskyy has thanked our country over and over again both privately and publicly. And our country thanks HIM and the Ukrainian patriots who have stood up to a dictator, buried their own and stopped Putin from marching right into the rest of Europe. Shame on you.”

The Russian response was definitely no surprise. Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president who often acts as a Kremlin attack dog, said, “The insolent pig (Zelenskyy) finally got a proper slap down in the Oval office.”

Politico reported that Zelenskyy took to social media to do what Vance — incorrectly — suggested he never did: He thanked the United States again for its help so far to his country.

Zelensky said, “Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.”

Another piece of encouraging news came from Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni who said she was sorry for what happened with Zelenskyy in Washington. The Associated Press said she is both a strong Ukraine supporter and — as head of a far-right party — she is a natural ally of Trump. She was the only European leader to attend Trump’s inauguration. She told reporters that Europe must remain focused on its common goals and that “dividing the West would be disastrous for everyone.”

Let’s hope the political leaders of this country will end their criticism of the Ukrainian leader and support efforts to repair the damage done last Friday. Their efforts should be devoted to getting everyone involved back to the negotiating table aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

Jim Beam, the retired editor of the American Press, has covered people and politics for more than six decades. Contact him at 337-515-8871 or jim.beam.press@gmail.com.

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