By George Caldwell, The Daily Signal | March 03, 2025
Republican members of Congress are becoming increasingly hostile toward NATO amid European solidarity with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his Oval Office shouting match Friday with President Donald Trump.
The American effort to broker Russia-Ukraine peace talks has encountered headwinds recently, with European leaders expressing support for Zelenskyy, and the British prime minister attempting to take a leading role in the negotiations.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has in recent days repeatedly called for the United States to exit the defense treaty it signed in 1949.
Lee’s criticisms come after the United Kingdom agreed to sign a new multibillion-dollar loan to support Ukraine after a London summit Zelenskyy attended Sunday, where multiple European premiers pledged continued support for the country—while not ruling out peace negotiations.
“If NATO’S moving on without the U.S. … We should move on without NATO … Time to leave,” Lee wrote on X in response to European leaders standing beside Zelenskyy in London.
The Utah senator also blasted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who, at the summit, spoke of rearming Europe and making Ukraine a “steel porcupine that is indigestible for potential invaders.”
“Good luck, Ursula,” wrote Lee. “Don’t count on another cent from us.”
In a written statement to The Daily Signal, Lee reiterated his threat of disinvestment.
“The United States should reconsider its membership in NATO. This organization was originally created to contain Soviet aggression in Europe, but has become a means for other nations to exploit the American security umbrella without taking their own national defense seriously,” he said, adding:
It is a foreign entanglement through which smaller nations could drag the United States into a major war against our national interests.
He added, “If European heads of state continue to support endless war in Ukraine in defiance of President Trump’s push for a ceasefire and negotiated peace, they should be allowed to do so—on their own.”
Lee was not the only Republican to call for American disinvestment from the military pact.
“The U.S. should not send one more dollar to these orgs & countries. NATO is pushing to drag the U.S. into WW3, but they’re not even paying their fair share!” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., wrote on X on Monday.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Elon Musk have also joined in on the calls for an American withdrawal.
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., likewise criticized NATO-affiliated United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who at the London summit called for a “just and enduring peace,” backed by European military assurances.
“The U.K. is prepared to back this, with boots on the ground and planes in the air. Together with others, Europe must do the heavy lifting. But to support peace on the Continent and to succeed, this effort must have strong U.S. backing,” said Starmer in a clip posted by Burchett.
Burchett wrote in response, “Old men make decisions, and young men die. The war pimps love a war. It is good for their portfolio.”
In an interview with The Daily Signal, Burchett said that he sympathized with fellow Republicans calling for an American withdrawal from NATO.
“I think that’s a viable option,” he said. “I think we need to weigh our fiscal security, our defense of our own country, and all that, but I think that’s a viable option, and I would support it.”
One irony of the Republican backlash to European’s tough-on-defense rhetoric is that Trump has long called for just that—an increased investment from European leaders in their own defense.
Burchett acknowledged that the moves might play into Trump’s hand.
“One hundred percent. That’s what they need to do,” said Burchett of the talks of increased European defense spending. “It’s a European war, and we’ve been carrying the fiscal ball on this.”
But increased Republican skepticism of defense partnerships with European countries is not just confined to Make America Great Again hard-liners such as Lee, Luna, and Burchett.
After the highly contentious Oval Office meeting with Zelenskyy, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who has long advocated for funding the defense of Ukraine, shamed Zelenskyy for his behavior and suggested he consider resignation.
Those remarks were echoed by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., and national security adviser Mike Waltz.
Burchett said of Graham’s rapid evolution on the issue: “I think it’s a realization of what people like Trump and the American people have been saying all along. This is, first of all, not our war. Second of all, we can’t afford to borrow any more money to prolong this war, and that we need to get an exit strategy.”
George Caldwell is a journalism fellow at The Daily Signal.
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