President Joe Biden ridiculed Donald Trumpthe view of Vladimir Putin in an interview released on Saturday, laughing at the way the former president said the Russian leader’s invasion of Ukraine was a “genius move”.
“I put as much into it as Trump says Putin is a genius as I am when he calls himself a stable genius,” Biden said in an interview with political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen.
Ukrainians are embroiled in a fierce battle for their country after Moscow ordered an invasion Wednesday night.
Republicans Biden was quickly accused of allowing Putin to make aggressive moves, saying the Russian leader considered him weak.
Sometimes they hint that Putin is less of a villain than Biden himself.
This week, Trump went even further, speaking in admiring tones about the way the former KGB officer invaded Ukraine.
“I put as much into it as Trump saying Putin is a genius as I did when he called himself a stable genius,” Biden said in an interview with political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen.
Ukrainian troops repel Russian attack in capital Kiev just hours after President Vladimir Zelensky warned Moscow it would try to take the city before dawn
Ukrainian troops are taking up positions as they prepare to defend Kiev on Saturday. Russian troops were approaching the capital, with clashes reported on the outskirts
A fighter with pro-Russian breakaway forces in Donetsk moves away from the body of a Tochka-U short-range ballistic missile lying near a local oil terminal after shelling in the Kirov region
Putin ordered troops to enter Ukraine on Wednesday night after deploying about 190,000 troops over the past six months to close its northern, eastern and southern borders.
This week, former President Donald Trump praised Putin’s strategy to recognize two breakaway parts of Ukraine before the invasion as “smart” and “genius.”
Speaking to conservative podcast Buck Sexton, the former president said, “I came in yesterday and there was a TV screen and I said, ‘This is ingenious.’
“Putin declares a large part of Ukraine, Putin declares it independent. Oh, that’s wonderful.
“So Putin is now saying, ‘This is independent,’ much of Ukraine. I said, “How smart is that?”
Trump touched on the issue again Wednesday, during a fundraiser at his Florida resort of Mar-a-Lago.
“I want to say that he is taking over the country against sanctions worth $ 2. I would say that’s pretty smart, “he said.
In an interview, Biden said the invasion would have the opposite effect on Putin by strengthening forces against him, including NATO.
“My goal from the beginning was to make sure I kept all NATO and Europe on the same page. That’s the only thing Putin thought he could do was split up NATO, creating a big hole for him to get through, and that didn’t happen.
“If you notice that there was complete unanimity, Russia will pay a heavy price for this short-term and long-term plan.”
On Friday, he approved the sending of another $ 350 million in military aid to Ukraine – including hardware and Javelin anti-tank missiles.
But by Saturday night, Ukrainian forces had clashed with Russian troops on the outskirts of their capital, Kiev.
In an interview, Biden also said Putin had failed to split NATO and that the invasion would eventually have the opposite effect on Russia by uniting Moscow’s opposition.
Smoke rises from a Russian tank destroyed by Ukrainian forces along the road in Luhansk region on February 26. Earlier, Russia ordered all its troops to advance on Kiev
Biden is the last high-ranking Democrat to condemn Trump’s stance on Putin and accuse Republicans of repeating Moscow’s claim.
On Friday, Hillary Clinton told MSNBC’s Morning Joe: “I want to make sure in our own country that we call on those people who are helping and comforting Vladimir Putin to see what a genius he is, what a smart move he is, who he is. are broadcast by Russian media not only in Russia but also in Europe to demonstrate the division in our own country.
“Perhaps this terrible aggression by Putin will harden the backs of many Republicans in office who understand that you cannot continue to give Trump and his aides a blank check because they will take us to a very bad place,” she continued. .
She added that too many Republicans were “naive in such a dangerous way.”
Speakers at the CPAC Conservative meeting in Orlando, Florida, took turns hitting Biden for what they considered a weakness.
They warned that China was watching what was happening in Ukraine to see if it could move to Taiwan with US intervention.
Others said Trump’s energy independence policy has helped keep oil prices down by preventing Putin from filling his military chest.