Congressman Blasts Zelenskyy for Hurdling Peace Efforts with Trump

By Michael Katz    |   Monday, 29 December 2025 07:33 PM EST

Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., has condemned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent engagement with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, arguing that such interactions have obstructed efforts to achieve a lasting peace in Ukraine.

On “The Chris Salcedo Show,” McCormick responded to reports that Germany has voiced support for Trump’s push toward a negotiated settlement following his meeting with Zelenskyy. He stated: “I think anytime Europe has a buy-in, it’s good.”

McCormick emphasized that European countries’ hesitation earlier in the war contributed to prolonging it, blaming NATO allies for failing to deter Russian aggression before the invasion. “I’ve always said that if Europe would have stood up to Russia to begin with, this would have been over a long time ago,” he said.

He pointed to Trump’s previous efforts to push NATO countries to strengthen their militaries and increase defense spending, arguing those warnings went unheeded. “President Trump, during his last presidency, continued to encourage NATO to build its military, to have peace through strength,” McCormick added. “They didn’t do it.”

McCormick highlighted the economic imbalance between Europe and Russia, stating: “Europe has 10 times the GDP of Russia. Russia has about $2.1 trillion GDP. Europe combined has about $20 trillion. This shouldn’t have been a contest.” He also noted that earlier military aid to Ukraine, stronger sanctions, and reduced reliance on Russian energy could have significantly shortened the war. “If they would have supplied Ukraine with the appropriate weapons and the sanctions and not bought energy from Russia to fund this war, it would have been over a long time ago,” he said.

Despite past failures, McCormick expressed hope that Germany’s current support could help bring the conflict to an end: “Hopefully, this is the best thing they can get out of this, and it will be over real soon.”