Nebraska officials react to President Trump's comments that Ukraine 'should have never started' war

Some of Nebraska’s elected officials are weighing in on negotiations in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

They're also addressing President Donald Trump’s comments saying that Ukraine “should have never started it.”

Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Nebraska Sen. Pete Ricketts said President Trump is “unconventional” in how he approaches the negotiations.

“But we are looking to make sure that we can do something that is going to protect Ukraine from further aggression by Russia in the future,” Ricketts said. “And that's one of the things that's got to be on the table and what this agreement will be — whatever agreement gets done — will be judged by is does Ukraine have that guarantee going forward that Russia won't be attacking them?”

In a Truth Social post, Trump also called Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator without elections.” Trump said President Zelensky doesn’t poll well with Ukrainians, and the U.S. has spent more than European countries in support of Ukraine.

Omaha-area Rep. Don Bacon denied those statements.

“Putin started this war. Putin committed war crimes," Bacon said in a post on X. "Putin is the dictator who murdered his opponents. The EU nations have contributed more to Ukraine. Zelensky polls over 50%. Ukraine wants to be part of the West, Putin hates the West. I don’t accept George Orwell’s doublethink.”

Doublethink is a concept in George Orwell’s novel “1984” where the masses are forced to accept two contradicting beliefs.

On Wednesday afternoon, greater Nebraska Rep. Adrian Smith released a statement to Nebraska Public Media.

“Russian aggression against Ukraine will continue without strong leadership. After the Biden administration failed to secure peace, robust engagement is necessary to ensure there is a clear plan for de-escalation and Vladimir Putin’s aggression is halted," Smith said. "I appreciate President Trump and his administration are now fully engaged on Ukraine, and I hope their efforts end Putin’s war and ensure freedom and democracy for all Ukrainians."

Sen. Deb Fischer provided Nebraska Public Media a statement on Wednesday evening.

"Russia started this war when it invaded Ukraine three years ago," the statement said. "The Biden administration had three years to hold them accountable and bring this war to an end but failed to do so. Now, President Trump is left to clean up another one of Biden's disasters."

Congressman Mike Flood said in an email that he’s following developments related to the war closely.

“President Trump won election on the promise to bring an end to the war that Russia launched against Ukraine,” he wrote. “Through the years, the president has found great success in using new approaches in negotiating deals. While I’m glad that there’s hope for peace, we can’t lose sight of the reality that Putin’s army has slaughtered tens of thousands since this war began in 2022. Any conclusion to the war needs to roll back Russia’s land grab, protect Ukraine’s future, and ensure that America’s alliance with NATO remains strong. Discussions about the possibility of the war ending are just getting started and I’m following developments closely as Secretary Rubio and others work on the President’s behalf.”

Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly said that Sen. Fischer and Rep. Smith commented on Thursday. They released statements Wednesday.