GOP senator: 'I don’t agree' with calls for Zelensky to step down

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said he doesn’t agree with the calls from some in his party saying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should step down.

Lankford joined NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday to discuss the explosive meeting between President Trump and Zelensky, and the subsequent calls from GOP leaders for a new Ukrainian leader.

“I don’t agree,” he said. “I’m not interested in calling on the resignation of other world leaders. I didn’t like it when Chuck Schumer asked for Netanyahu to be removed. I don’t like it when other members of the Senate ask for Zelensky to be removed either.”

Lankford said he believes Zelensky being removed from office would “spiral Ukraine into chaos.”

He noted that while the meeting between Trump and Zelensky ended horribly, they’ve obviously had good conversations in the past. As Trump leads the U.S. and the peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, there are concerns about how close he has become with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“President Trump obviously met with Zelensky first,” Lankford said. “Everybody was working with … the Russians. He wanted to personally meet with Zelensky first.”

“I think that’s a very clear sign of where he is and where he stands on this,” he added.

Lankford's comments come after a contentious meeting between Trump and Zelensky last week, which devolved into a heated argument in an extraordinary turn of events. During the meeting, Trump called the Ukrainian president “disrespectful” and Vice President Vance accused him of not being grateful enough for the president’s help.

Zelensky said late last month that he would step down from the presidency if it meant achieving a lasting peace in Ukraine.