Thom Tillis has a new choice: staunch Ukraine defender or Trump doormat? | Opinion

For the past three years, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. He’s helped champion U.S. efforts to send aid to Ukraine and been fiercely critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Like the rest of Tillis’ convictions, however, Donald Trump is putting that to the test.

It took days for Tillis to officially respond to Trump’s Oval Office argument with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — an embarrassing spectacle in which Trump accused Zelensky of being ungrateful for U.S. assistance and uninterested in finding peace with Russia.

Tillis’ response, which included a platitude about “friends” having “heated” disagreements, was optimistic. He insisted Trump and the U.S. would “push for a lasting peace to end the war” and encouraged progress on a deal in which Ukraine would provide the U.S. with valuable minerals in exchange for additional military aid.

That statement didn’t age well. Mere hours later, Trump proved him wrong by ordering an immediate pause on U.S. military aid to Ukraine, limiting its ability to defend itself against Russia.

So what will Tillis say now? Just last week, he stood on the Senate floor and delivered an impassioned speech calling Putin a “cancer,” a “murderer” and a threat to democracy, and emphasized the need for the U.S. to continue giving financial support. He introduced a bipartisan resolution restating support for Ukraine on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

We welcome that commitment and appreciate Tillis’ dedication thus far in supporting Ukraine. But it doesn’t mean a whole lot if he’s not willing to speak up when the president endangers the very cause he has spoken so passionately about.

A good sign: On Tuesday afternoon, after this editorial first published, Tillis told CNN: “A pause can’t go long because the only person that benefits is Putin.”

He also said: “Look, if I am Putin, I’m loving a pause. I’m plussing up troops at the border. I’m trying to get more drones from Iran. I’m trying to get more crap from North Korea, I’m getting the illicit money coming from China, and I’m loving a pause, and I’m loving a cessation of a resupply to Ukraine.”

That’s a good start, and we understand that such comments invite backlash from Trump supporters and perhaps the president. But it shouldn’t be difficult for Tillis to maintain the same position he has deeply held for the past three years. To submit in any way to Trump’s reckless position on the matter would be a stunning reversal by someone who has been one of the most outspoken supporters of Ukraine in the Senate.

Tills has, however, a history of questionable resolve with Trump. He’s tucked his tail between his legs and kept quiet about dangerous and unqualified Cabinet nominees, even flip-flopping on his opposition to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth after Trump threatened a primary challenge. He’s waved off actions by Trump and Elon Musk to encroach on congressional spending power even though they might be unconstitutional.

There’s at least one reason to wonder if he’ll hold his line on Ukraine. According to one report, Tillis simply said “I don’t know if anything can be done” when asked about Trump’s pause on Ukraine aid. But after a decade in the Senate, Tillis is far from powerless. His voice matters. We hope he doesn’t relent in subservience to Trump.

Trump sees ending the war as a settlement, but what he’s really demanding is that Ukraine agree to a loss of territory and an end to fighting with the risk that Russia will restock its arms and troops and conquer all of Ukraine. Tillis has shown he knows what would happen then. Neither he nor Ukraine should surrender.

This story was originally published March 4, 2025 at 11:50 AM.