Representative Mike Turner (R-Ohio) delivered a sharp rebuke to anyone who thinks they can support the “America First” movement while also standing with Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine, as per The Hill. It’s an incredibly blunt statement that really hammers home the serious ideological split happening in Washington right now.
If you’ve been following the news, you know that Russia hasn’t let up on its brutal attacks, even striking civilian homes over the holidays. Representative Turner, who used to chair the House Intelligence Committee, pointed directly to the images of destruction in Ukrainian cities and neighborhoods as a stark reminder of what this war is actually about. Russian President Vladimir Putin is “continuing to remind us that this is a war of aggression,” Turner said.
Turner argues that when Americans look at whose side they should be on, the choice is clear. He made a statement that’s going to echo through the halls of Congress: “You can’t be ‘America first’ and be pro-Russia.” He stressed that Russia is already a “self-declared adversary of the United States,” and the merciless killing of Ukrainians and attempts to seize their land just confirm that reality.
When you see the destruction Putin is causing, it’s tough to see how anyone could argue otherwise
This intense public commentary came just hours before a hugely significant diplomatic meeting was set to take place. President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are scheduled to meet in Florida to review a newly revised, 20-point peace plan designed to end the nearly four-year conflict.
The details of this potential deal are pretty massive. The plan reportedly includes a requirement for Russia to withdraw from several occupied regions. That’s a huge concession on paper, and it would mark a major turning point if Putin ever agreed to it. Even more staggering, the plan also aims to establish an $800 billion fund specifically earmarked for postwar recovery efforts. Imagine the scale of rebuilding needed after years of fighting; $800 billion would be essential to getting Ukraine back on its feet.
On the Ukrainian side, President Zelensky appears ready to make some serious concessions to bring the fighting to a close. However, there’s a huge catch: Putin hasn’t shown any reciprocal willingness to meet Ukraine halfway. Even if a peace deal is hammered out, the most critical sticking point remains the future security of Ukraine. Zelensky is rightly insisting on concrete security guarantees from his Western allies to ensure that Russia won’t simply regroup and reinvade down the line.
Turner noted the difficulty in providing those guarantees, saying, “In this peace process, you know, as Russia wants Ukrainian concessions, it’s going to be much more difficult, because Ukraine wants, of course, assurances that Russia is not going to come back, that the West is going to give them the assurances that they will deter Russia in the future.”
The West has to be ready to “rise to the occasion” and provide meaningful deterrence, preventing Russia from just “reassembling and coming back stronger.” It’s one thing to broker a ceasefire, but it’s another thing entirely to guarantee long-term peace against an aggressive neighbor. The stakes couldn’t be higher as President Trump and President Zelensky meet to hash out a future where Ukraine can finally feel safe.
Published: Dec 29, 2025 04:00 pm