‘Woke war criminal Putin doesn't get to play the victim': GOP hawks pile ceasefire pressure on Putin
Republican Russia hawks lambasted Vladimir Putin for not accepting the terms of a ceasefire deal with Ukraine on Thursday, following the Trump administration's lead as it seeks to pressure the Kremlin into a peace deal.
The Russian president on Thursday avoided outright rejecting the proposal that came out of negotiations earlier in the week between U.S. and Ukrainian officials. But he threw major obstacles in the path to peace by demanding inclusion of a series of conditions regarding the 'root causes of the crisis.'
'Putin doesn't want peace. He wants conquest,' Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) wrote on X.
Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) echoed the Texas senator's comments, saying: 'President Trump graciously offered Putin a way out of this insanity. Problem is Putin does not want peace, he wants Ukraine.'
The South Carolinian also slammed Putin, writing that 'woke war criminal Putin doesn't get to play the victim. He invaded a sovereign country of 40 million, his forces delighting in utter sadism. He cares nothing for the people of Russia, sending child soldiers and amputees to die for HIM.'
Key members of the Trump administration pushed the same ceasefire message Wednesday, demanding that Putin accept the terms of the proposal. When asked about Putin's message, Trump said Thursday in the Oval Office that the Russian leader 'put out a very promising statement, but it wasn't complete,' adding that he would 'love to meet with him or talk to him, but we have to get it over with fast.'
Trump also evaded committing to using points of leverage to push the Kremlin to a deal Thursday, citing ongoing conversations between American and Russian negotiators. Putin and special envoy Steve Witkoff are set to meet in Moscow on Thursday night.
The Kremlin has claimed that its mission in launching what it calls a 'special military operation' in Ukraine is to rid the country of 'Nazis,' which Russia falsely says are governing. Ukraine and its supporters say that the Russian incursion aims more broadly to destroy the country's government and take over vast portions of its land, and allies have long vowed to support Ukrainian defense.
Trump has cast doubt on the U.S.' commitment to Ukraine in recent weeks, oscillating from publicly belittling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office last month and seemingly seeking to align U.S. policy with the Kremlin to negotiating a 30-day ceasefire proposal with Ukrainian officials and threatening 'devastating' economic consequences for Russia if it does not agree.
Many Republicans have largely fallen in line behind the president's changing approaches, but longtime supporters of Ukraine — some of whom have obliquely criticized the Trump administration or remained quiet — were quick on Thursday to blast the Russian leader's response to the proposed deal, which effectively delays any meaningful movement toward ending the war.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who has been increasingly outspoken in his support for Ukraine in recent weeks, said Putin's response to the deal 'is not a surprise.'
'Russia slams door on truce with Ukraine. It is not a surprise,' Bacon wrote on X, noting that 'Putin started this invasion' — a fact that Trump has falsely contradicted.
'Trump is right to send military aid and intelligence to Ukraine. It's time to confiscate Russian assets and do real and hard sanctions on all Russian exports,' the Nebraskan said.
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