Alaska Senator Murkowski Refutes Trump's False Claims About Ukraine
US Senator of Alaska Lisa Murkowski (R) has been one of the critical republican voices with regards to the US President's actions, and has challenged Trump a number of times. The senator has in some cases aligned with Trump over some issues, such as Alaska energy and resource questions. (Photo: Arctic Circle).
US Senator for Alaska, Lisa Murkowski, responds to Trump's claims about Ukraine and President Zelenskyy, and reacts to the mass firings of federal employees, impacting Alaska.
“It is wrong to suggest that somehow or other Ukraine started this war, asked for this war. It is clear for all the world to see and to know that Putin invaded Ukraine and started the war.”
The comments were made by US Senator for Alaska, Lisa Murkowski (R), during a "Teletownhall" Wednesday night.
Alaska Public Media reported from the telephone town hall with more than 1,000 constituents.
"Scratching our heads"
US President Donald Trump has made several controversial and false statements about the Ukraine war, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in recent days.
On Tuesday this week, the US President falsely blamed Ukraine for starting its war with Russia. On Wednesday, Trump called Zelenskyy "a dictator without elections" on the media platform Truth Social.
Murkowski said Trump's insults were uncalled for, Alaska Public Media reports.
The senator for Alaska further commented on Trump's language about the President of Ukraine versus Russia's President.
“Sometimes his negotiating tactics are perhaps a little bit unorthodox and maybe that’s some of what we’re seeing with his words now. But I think we’re all kind of scratching our heads at how quickly the conversation has gone from being one that is supportive of President Zelenskyy to now being more supportive of Putin," Murkowski said according to Anchorage Daily News (ADN).
"Alaska on the frontlines"
ADN further noted that Dan Sullivan (R), also US Senator for Alaska, on Thursday reasserted that Russian President Vladimir Putin “started this war by invading Ukraine,” though Sullivan did not directly criticize Trump’s recent statements.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Sullivan stated that "Alaska is on the frontlines of authoritarian aggression". He moreoever referred to recent statements by the Commander of US Northern Command, that Russia and China would likely continue and increase their incursions into Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
Both Tuesday and Wednesday this week, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), said it detected and tracked Russian military aircraft operating in the ADIZ.
"The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace. This Russian activity in Alaskan ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat," the statement from NORAD reads.
Mass firings of public employees
Much of the talk during Murkowski's telephone town hall also concerned the mass firing of federal employees.
The senator urged her colleagues in Congress to reassert their constitutional authority and stand up to President Trump if he withholds funding approved by lawmakers through his mass firings of federal workers or severe cuts to federal agencies.
In a post on X, Murkowski noted that dozens of Alaskans, potentially over 100 in total, are being fired as part of the Trump administration’s reduction-in-force order for the federal government.
"Many of these abrupt terminations will do more harm than good, stunting opportunities in Alaska and leaving holes in our communities. We can’t realize our potential for responsible energy and mineral development if we can’t permit projects," she added. "Our tourism economy will be damaged if we don’t maintain our world-class national parks and forests."
