Former president Donald Trump for the second time in two days praised the Russian president Vladimir Putin so “smart” for his strategy in Ukraine when the Kremlin’s “special military operation” began.
Trump is talking about raising funds for a super PAC in his Mar-a-Lago resort Floridaspeaks sleevelessly about the upcoming military action on Wednesday night.
The former president spoke of America’s enemies during the crisis, saying: “Now they are laughing at us. That’s why you have Ukraine, that’s why you will have China. Taiwan is next and you will see the same.
Trump then reiterated that Vladimir Putin was “smart,” as he was in interviews Tuesday.
“He took over the country in exchange for $ 2 in sanctions, I would say that’s pretty smart. He conquers a country – a huge, vast location, a great piece of land with many people – just goes straight. This would never happen and I know him very well.
Former President Donald Trump, speaking during a fundraiser for the Super PAC in his Florida resort of Mar-a-Lago, spoke on the sidelines about the upcoming military action on Wednesday night
Trump has again criticized President Joe Biden for his actions before the crisis
Trump then reiterated that Vladimir Putin was “smart,” as he was in interviews Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Trump praised Putin’s move to declare Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions “independent.”
“I came in yesterday and there was a TV screen and I said, ‘That’s brilliant,'” Trump said. “Putin declares a large part of Ukraine – from Ukraine – Putin declares it independent. Oh, that’s wonderful.
“I said, ‘How smart is that?'” The former US president said continue. “And he will come in and be a peacemaker.” This is the strongest peaceful force … We can use this on our southern border. This is the strongest peacekeeping force I have ever seen. There were more army tanks than I saw. They will keep the peace well.
“No, but think about it.” Here is a man who is very understanding, “Trump continued. “I know him very well.” Very, very, very good. If I were in office, even unthinkable, this would never have happened.
Trump added: “But here’s a man who says, you know, ‘I’m going to declare much of Ukraine independent,’ he uses the word ‘independent’ and ‘we’re going to go in and out.’ and we will help keep the peace. You have to say that it is quite understandable. And do you know what Biden’s response was? There was no answer. They didn’t have one for that. No, it’s very sad. Very sad.’
Trump also called Biden “a man who has no idea what he’s doing.”
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki responded to Trump at a news briefing on Tuesday.
“As a matter of policy, we try not to take advice from anyone who praises President Putin and his military strategy, which I think is what happened there,” Psaki said at a briefing on Tuesday when asked to respond to comments made earlier in Trump. The day.
She pointed out the comments Trump reportedly did to the leaders of the G7 in 2018, when the former president already said that Crimea, which was annexed by Russia after the invasion in 2014, is part of Russia because everyone there speaks Russian.
He said Trump had “expressed openness” to lifting sanctions on Russia over the 2014 invasion.
“So there are a little different tactics, a little different approach, and that’s probably why President Biden, not his predecessor, managed to unite the world and the world community in taking steps against Russian aggression,” Psaki said.
Most Republicans have said they want to see Russia punished for what the White House now calls an “invasion” of Ukraine – after Putin announced Monday that he would consider two Russian-backed separatist territories independent of Ukraine and ordered troops there under cover. of “peacekeeping functions”.
Asked if there were fears that comments like Trump’s could lead to Ukraine’s support becoming a more party issue among the American public, she pointed to the Republican Party.
“You know, I think it depends on the members of the Republican Party to make the decision, to make the decision,” she told DailyMail.com.
In contrast to the traditional hawk and pigeon roles of both political parties – with Republicans historically more hawkish – Republicans were less inclined to want the United States to play a major role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict by 10 points.
“There is a long history, decades of history of which President Biden was a part, when he was chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, of defending the efforts of any country to occupy the territory of another country, of defending the efforts of the United States to gather global support against inappropriate and illegal actions by another country, “she continued. “There is a long history of this, not in a partisan way – in a partisan way.”
“And it certainly depends on the Republicans to … determine,” she added.
New A study by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs published on Wednesday, Americans have little appetite for the United States to play an important role in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
But away from the traditional hawk and pigeon roles of both political parties – with Republicans historically more hawkish – Republicans were less likely to want the United States to play a major role with 10 points.
The survey found that a total of 26% of older Americans said they wanted the United States to play a major role – with 32% of Democrats in the group and 22% of Republicans.
President Joe Biden on Wednesday he announced he was sanctioning the company’s building Russiathe Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which Germany stopped certification on Tuesday – a coordinated response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Today I ordered my administration to impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG and its corporate employees,” the president said in a statement. “These steps are another part of our initial tranche of sanctions in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine.”
The president also warned: “We will not hesitate to take further steps if Russia continues to escalate.”
State Department spokesman Ned Price said Wednesday afternoon that Nord Stream 2 was a “reward investment of $ 11 billion, which is now steel at the bottom of the sea.”
At a briefing Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki did not say whether the project could be resurrected in the future.
“Well, not only has the German chancellor announced that he is not moving forward, we have also announced additional sanctions and this is not moving at the moment, no,” she said in response to a question from Peter Alexander of NBC.
When he asked if it was done “forever”, she replied: “Peter is dead at the bottom of the sea right now.”
President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that he was sanctioning the company that is building Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, for which Germany suspended certification on Tuesday.
Nord Stream 2 was completed in September and would double the amount of Russian gas going to Germany
When White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki was asked at Wednesday’s briefing if Nord Stream 2 was built “forever,” she said, “He’s dead at the bottom of the sea right now.”
Biden receives rare praise from Republican Sen. Ted Cruz for his initial move to lift sanctions