WASHINGTON

US Senator Bernie Sanders slammed President Donald Trump on Monday for cozying up to his "new best friend," Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Trump is dividing the Western alliance and undermining Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion.

"His actions may prolong the war by convincing Putin he can manipulate Trump into a deal with concessions he couldn’t win on the battlefield," Sanders said in a statement.

Referring to a heated meeting last Friday between Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sanders said Trump's attacks on Zelenskyy were "a gift" to Putin.

The leaders engaged in a fiery Oval Office exchange Friday in which Trump and Vice President JD Vance repeatedly berated Zelenskyy, alleging he is ungrateful for years of American military and economic aid for his war-ravaged nation.

Sanders said corruption and violence are "at the heart" of Putin’s rule. He claimed that there is no freedom of speech, protests are "violently" suppressed, dissidents are murdered, and the billionaire oligarchs become "even richer" in Putin's Russia,

"Every American – regardless of his or her political views – should see the current reality clearly.

"For the first time in American history, we have a president who is prepared to turn his back on our democratic allies and democratic values to align himself with one of the world’s most brutal dictators," Sanders stressed.