Senate passes sweeping Russian sanctions bill as Zelenskyy meets with allies
Fox News correspondent Stephanie Bennett reports from London as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with European allies in Belgrade and pushes for additional air-defense aid amid continued pressure on Russia. The talks come as the U.S. Senate passes a sweeping sanctions bill targeting Moscow.
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Delaware Sen. Chris Coons is facing backlash after declaring that the United States is “no longer” the leader of the free world and pointing instead to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the national leader putting his country “on the line for freedom.”
“I would say we are no longer the leaders of the free world. In fact, if anything Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the primary national leader who is putting his country’s men and women on the line for freedom,” said Coons during the town hall earlier this month.
“We need to earn our place back as leader in the free world in the future,” he added.
Coons’ remarks underscore his long-running alignment with Kyiv at a moment when President Donald Trump is pressing for an end to the war and putting a renewed emphasis on American power and national pride. The Delaware Democrat has been one of Congress’ more outspoken supporters of Ukraine, repeatedly backing military aid, tougher sanctions on Russia and continued U.S. engagement with Zelenskyy’s government.
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President Donald Trump greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House Aug. 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump is hosting President Zelensky at the White House for a bilateral meeting and later an expanded meeting with European leaders to discuss a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. (Getty Images)
Coons spoke with Dover, Delaware, Councilman Andre Boggerty alongside Rep. Sarah McBride in a virtual town hall Tuesday hosted by the Kent County Democratic Committee focused on local issues.
Coons has been a vocal advocate for sustained U.S. support for Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, repeatedly pressing for military assistance and tougher sanctions on Moscow. Coons visited Kyiv in 2022 to meet with Zelenskyy and recently visited Odesa with Senate Foreign Relations Committee members in February to reiterate “the ironclad, bipartisan support” for Ukraine, according to a press release.
Nick Adams, special presidential envoy for American tourism, exceptionalism, and values, told Fox News Digital Coons’ comments are “the essence of America last.”
“The United States is today, has been since 1776, and with God’s grace, always will be the leader of the free world. To suggest otherwise is to ignore our Constitution and the blood shed by our heroes who made sure that our Declaration of Independence would not just be a theoretical document but the beginning of a new era in the history of humanity,” said Adams.
Adams added that no other nation can hold a candle to America, pointing to its constitutional freedoms, founding principles of liberty and belief that natural rights transcend government authority.
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Chris Coons attends a press conference with an American delegation, consisting of senators and members of the House of Representatives, in Copenhagen, Denmark, on January 17, 2026. (Photo by Ida Marie Odgaard / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP via Getty Images)
“To say otherwise is to reveal an unbelievable ignorance as to what our nation is, where we came from, and how our destiny will always be shaped by the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” Adams added.
Conservative critics seized on Coons’ remarks, accusing him of being “anti-American.”
“Wow! This is truly sick behavior. Sen. Chris Coons — a Democrat who nobody has ever heard of, but nonetheless a U.S. Senator — says the U.S. is ‘no longer the leaders of the free world’ because ‘Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the primary national leader,’” wrote the White House’s Rapid Response account on X.
“Imagine asserting this. What an absolute clown,” wrote one user.
“Chris Coons has always been an anti-American fraud. He’s a total coward,” said another person.
ZELENSKYY PRESSURES US AND EUROPE FOR MORE ‘AIR DEFENSE’ ASSISTANCE AMID ONGOING WAR WITH RUSSIA
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with President Donald Trump at White House during his visit to Washington, D.C, United States on July 28.
“What an embarrassment he is — Ukraine hasn’t held elections since 2019,” commented a user.
The Russia-Ukraine war has dragged on for more than four years, with Kyiv holding off a larger Russian force while facing manpower shortages and relying heavily on continued Western weapons.
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Zelenskyy met with Trump in the Oval Office on July 28, where the two discussed licensing Ukraine to produce Patriot missile interceptors as Kyiv seeks to strengthen its air defenses.
Coons’ office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s press inquiry.