Tuberville accuses Zelensky of attempting to ‘lure NATO' into Russian conflict

The Hill

08-06-2025

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was undoubtedly trying to 'lure NATO' into their war with Russia.
'There is no doubt, because he cannot win this war on his own. He knows he's losing,' Tuberville said during a Sunday appearance on John Catsimatidis's radio show 'Cats Roundtable' on WABC 770 AM.
However, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth previously mentioned that the country would never join NATO, although he later walked back the comments.
Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and has continued to launch deadly drone strikes on the country in an effort to gain more land.
The Kremlin attacked the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Saturday, wounding 80 and killing at least six. Russia ramped up its strikes after Ukraine successfully completed a series of drone attacks to defend its sovereign borders.
'They drove trucks 2,000 miles into Russia. They had drones that were covered up in the backs of these trucks. They got close to the targets, opened up these trucks, the drones flew out and destroyed somewhere around 40 major airplanes that Russia uses in their nuclear arsenal,' Tuberville said.
'It was devastating. Then again, both sides are at fault. Let's get this thing over with. And President Trump is the one who can get this done,' he continued.
His rhetoric aligns with President Trump's past statements alleging Ukraine caused the war and shouldn't seek to recover the Crimea region.
Trump publicly chastised his counterpart Zelensky in the Oval Office in February, warranting a chorus of responses from national lawmakers and international leaders.
During Sunday's interview, Tuberville also slammed Zelensky's presidency, describing him as a 'dictator.'
'Zelensky is a dictator, and he has created all sorts of problems. We've got a lot of money that's been missing. No telling where it's gone…,' Tuberville said.
'I think both of these [nations] have lost close to 500,000 to 700,000 people. It's devastating to the world,' he added.
Senators have considered sanctions on Russia for refusing to agree to a ceasefire amidst angst. However, they ultimately held off deciding to follow the president's lead.