Lawmakers clashed over US votes on Ukraine at the UN and the administration’s reluctance to call Putin “a war criminal.”

by  Kyiv Post | April 16, 2026

Former US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz attends a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on his nomination to be US Ambassador to the United Nations, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on July 15, 2025. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)

CONTENT

• Bipartisan frustration over failure to defend Ukraine
• Clash over Putin language
• America first, or America alone?

A Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Wednesday, titled “Reforming the UN: Assessing US Efforts and Priorities,” exposed sharp divisions over the role of the United Nations and turned into a broader debate over US strategy toward allies and adversaries.

Bipartisan frustration over failure to defend Ukraine

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch (R-ID) blasted what he described as the UN’s failure to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“It’s incredibly frustrating to see these votes in the Security Council where you can’t even condemn Russia for invading a country, crossing boundaries and trying to take land, when that is a direct violation of the very foundation of the UN,” Risch said. “Not only can’t they do anything about it, they can’t even condemn it.”

Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) argued that Washington’s recent positions at the United Nations have weakened support for Ukraine.

“In February, on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the United States abstained from a General Assembly resolution reaffirming Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Shaheen said. “That resolution passed 107 to 12, as I am sure you know. More concerning, the United States advanced a proposal to strip out that language. And although that effort failed, it was supported by Russia, Hungary and Belarus.”

She added: “Just weeks later, the US opposed a resolution warning that attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid threaten nuclear safety. A resolution backed by our allies across Europe, as well as partners like Canada and Australia. However, the United States joined Russia and China in opposing it.”

Referring to a recent bipartisan trip to Asia, Shaheen added: “What we heard consistently is that as the United States pulls back, China is stepping in more aggressively.”

Clash over Putin language

The most pointed exchange came over how the administration characterizes Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“When you were a member of the House, you said that President Biden needed to make clear that, quote, ‘Putin is an absolute war criminal,’” Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) said. “Do you stand by your statement that Putin was an absolute war criminal?”

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz declined to repeat the statement.

“Statements I made as a member of Congress are very different than what I make now as ambassador to the UN working for President Trump and representing the United States,” he said.

Pressed on whether that amounted to a retraction, Waltz responded: “No, I certainly support President Trump in everything he is doing in trying to end this awful conflict.”

America first, or America alone?

Lawmakers from both parties agreed that the UN needs significant reform, but they clashed over whether the United States is using the institution effectively.

Republicans said the UN has drifted from its core mission of peace and security. Democrats, by contrast, warned that reform should not slide into isolationism, arguing that an “America first” approach must not become “America alone.”

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Trump Condemns Russia’s Overnight Bombardment of Ukraine as ‘Terrible’

Former US ambassador Dan Fried tells Kyiv Post Russia’s massive overnight strike shows Moscow is terrorizing civilians because it has failed to break Ukraine’s resilience on the battlefield.

by  Sevinj Osmanqizi | April 17, 2026,

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before departing the White House in Washington on April 16, 2026. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP

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Asked about the massive overnight Russian bombardment of Ukraine by RFE/RL reporter Alex Raufoglu, President Trump  condemned the attack as “terrible.”

More than 700 drones and missiles were launched in multiple waves at cities across the country, killing at least 18 people in what local officials described as the deadliest attack in months.

Officials said nine people were killed in the southern port city of Odesa, five in the central city of Dnipro, and four – including a child – in the capital, Kyiv.

Asked whether the war had the potential to drag on for years, Trump said he believed a deal could still be reached.

“Well, possibly, but I think a deal could be reached – possibly,” he said. “It would be foolish not to. I mean, if we’re close to a deal to end it, yes, I would do that. But we’re close to a deal.”

Trump also reiterated that the war would not have started if he had been in office.

Former US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Dan Fried told Kyiv Post that the strikes showed Russia was trying to terrorize civilians because it could not break Ukrainian resilience.

“They are choosing this tactic because they have been unsuccessful on the ground, on the battlefield. They have not seized Ukrainian territory,” Fried said.

“They are also unable to mount effective strategic attacks on Ukrainian military targets. The Ukrainians, by contrast, have been rather successful in going after Russian strategic targets, including, of course, famously, the Baltic ports.

So the Russians are not winning the war, and they are killing civilians and trying to terrorize Ukraine.”