Independent US Senator Bernie Sanders has vehemently dismissed claims suggesting that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy might have to resign following a diplomatic dispute in the Oval Office with then-President Donald Trump. Sanders, in a Sunday interview with NBC’s Meet The Press, responded fiercely to pro-resignation remarks from fellow Senator Lindsey Graham and Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson by saying it was a horrific notion. He emphasized Zelenskyy’s crucial stance as a democratic leader against Russia’s authoritarian leader, Vladimir Putin, who has been invading Ukraine since February 2022.

Sanders criticized Trump, arguing that his views were exactly the opposite. He pointed out the suffering of the Ukrainian people, who have lost tens of thousands of soldiers and witnessed their cities being bombed, and stressed the importance of defending democracy as a global leader, rather than turning a blind eye to a struggling country fighting for the right cause.

These comments followed a contentious meeting between Zelenskyy, Trump, and JD Vance at the White House, where Zelenskyy sought security guarantees amid the ongoing conflict with Russia, and in return, faced accusations of insufficient gratitude for US aid. This tension has sparked a series of pro-Ukraine protests across the US, receiving support from leaders and prime ministers across Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Despite differing viewpoints, the meeting’s outcome has drawn criticism from Alaska’s Senator Lisa Murkowski, who expressed her discomfort over the apparent departure from supporting allies and embracing Putin, labeling it as a threat to democracy and US values.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/02/bernie-sanders-zelenskyy-trump-meeting