Former President Donald Trump broke his silence on the Russia-Ukraine crisis to praise Russian leader Vladimir Putin for his “genius” plan and slammed the Biden administration for “weak sanctions” against Russia.
On Monday, Putin signed a decree declaring Luhansk and Donetsk region in the eastern part of Ukraine as independent entities and announced he was sending Russian forces there to “maintain peace”.
In an interview on Clay Travis and Buck Sexton show, Trump praised the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling Putin’s move “genius.”
“I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, ‘This is genius.’ Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine. Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful,” Trump said.
He continued: “Putin is now saying, ‘It’s independent,’ a large section of Ukraine. I said, ‘How smart is that?’ And he’s gonna go in and be a peacekeeper. That’s strongest peace force… We could use that on our southern border. That’s the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen. There were more army tanks than I’ve ever seen. They’re gonna keep peace all right. No, but think of it. Here’s a guy who’s very savvy… I know him very well. Very, very well.”
In response to the Putin invading Ukraine the Biden administration announced new sanctions on Russian financial institutions, sovereign debt, the country’s elites and their family members. The sanctions also block the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Biden also made it clear that additional sanctions will be put in place if Russia moves farther into Ukraine.
However, Trump claims the sanctions are “weak” and “insignificant” and criticize Biden for letting Russia get rich because of higher gas prices.
“The weak sanctions are insignificant relative to taking over a country and a massive piece of strategically located land,” he said. “Now it has begun, oil prices are going higher and higher, and Putin is not only getting what he always wanted, but getting, because of the oil and gas surge, richer and richer.”
During his one term in office, Trump was criticized for being soft on Russia and for his cozy relationship with Putin even after US intelligence agencies concluded that he meddled in the 2016 election. In 2018 at a press conference in Helsinki, Finland Trump publicly sided with Putin over US intelligence services about Russia’s involvement in the election.
