Rep. Mike Lawler (RN.Y.) said President Trump and Ukrainian President Voldimia Zelensky need to “go back quickly” to hash their disagreements after Friday's explosive White House meeting.
“It was disruptive and frankly for the benefit of Vladimir Putin,” Lawler said in an interview with CNN after a West Wing's cry match on television.
Lawler, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and a candidate for governor next year, had warned against publicly broadcasting complaints between the US and Ukraine just days before the oral brawl broke out.
Trump and Zelensky were set to discuss peace talks and sign a rare mineral trade to ensure US continued aid to Ukraine.
“My belief is that in terms of economic cooperation between the US and Ukraine, this deal (Trump) put on the table is most certainly in Ukraine's greatest profits and I think President Zelensky needs to return with President Trump very quickly to make this deal,” Lawler said. “When this conflict is over, Ukraine will need significant investments from both the US and Europe, and this agreement placed on the table today was a step towards that.”
He said he personally believes that the Russian president is a “depressing dictator and thug”, but is a necessary component of peace negotiations.
“I think (Trump) is actually trying to bring Putin to the table,” Lawler said.
The controversial White House meeting on Friday ended abruptly, with a press conference with two leaders cancelled after Trump told the Ukrainian delegation to leave.
Before leaving the White House for Florida on Friday, Trump said Zelensky “overwhelmed his hands” and didn't feel that Ukrainian leaders were serious about ending the war.
“We're not looking to take part in a decade of war and play the game,” he said. “We want peace.”
