**Chris Murphy, Democratic Senator:** "What a disgrace for America. This whole sad scene."
**Amy Klobuchar, Democratic Senator:** "Response to Vance: Zelensky has thanked our country over and over again, both privately and publicly. And our country thanks him and the Ukrainian patriots who stood up against a dictator, gave their lives, and stopped Putin from marching straight into the rest of Europe. Shame on you."
**Eric Swalwell, Democratic Congressman:** "Utter admiration for President Zelensky. The guy has guts. He walked into the Oval Office and stood up to Russia’s best negotiators."
**Adam Schiff, Democratic Senator:** "Today in the Oval Office, a hero and a coward met. And when the meeting is over, the hero will go home to Ukraine."
**Liz Cheney, Former Republican Congresswoman:** "Generations of American patriots, starting from our revolution, have fought for the principles that Zelensky is risking his life to defend. But today, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance attacked Zelensky and pressured him to surrender his people’s freedom to a war criminal—a KGB agent who invaded Ukraine. History will remember this day—when the president and vice president of the United States abandoned everything we stand for."
**John Bolton, Former National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump:** "Trump and Vance have declared that they are on Russia’s side in the Russia-Ukraine war. This is a catastrophic mistake for America’s national security. And let’s be clear: this is Trump and Vance’s personal policy. It is not the view of most Americans, regardless of political affiliation."
**David Axelrod, Former Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama:** "I love my country with all my heart, and I have never been more ashamed of America than I was watching the spectacle in the Oval Office. Zelensky is fighting for the survival of his country, his people, and his democracy. Trump and Vance seem fully aligned with Putin—the invader whose goal was to conquer Ukraine. Zelensky should know that millions and millions of Americans still stand with him and his courageous people."
**Mark Hertling, Former Commander of U.S. Army Europe:** "Some have disappointed, some have made bad policy, some have made big mistakes. But I have never in my life been ashamed of American leaders. Until today... This won’t just be Ukraine walking away from the U.S. Having spent a lot of time in Europe, I know there will be many allies walking away from the U.S. as well."
**Michael McFaul, Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia:** "Allowing Putin to conquer Ukraine is not in America’s national interest. That does not put America first. It will lead to more conflicts worldwide. Today is a good day for Putin and Xi and a bad day for everyone in the world who supports freedom and stands against tyranny... I don’t recall Trump promising during his campaign that he was going to switch sides and join the team of dictators while abandoning the team of freedom. We were once the leaders of the free world. Hopefully, one day, we’ll get back to the right side. This is a sad day for American diplomacy. This heated conversation should have taken place behind closed doors. Real diplomacy does not happen in front of the media. I hope professional diplomats on both sides can bring U.S.-Ukraine relations back on track."