Trump slams Biden's 'weak sanctions' on Russia, despite previously suggesting that Russia's past invasions weren't a big deal
- Trump blasted Joe Biden over Russia's decision to order additional troops into Ukraine.
- Trump said there was "absolutely no reason" the situation in Ukraine "should have happened at all."
Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday questioned whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would have ordered additional troops into Ukraine during his time in office and criticized President Joe Biden's initial sanctions as "weak sanctions."
"If properly handled, there was absolutely no reason that the situation currently happening in Ukraine should have happened at all," Trump said in a statement. "I know Vladimir Putin very well, and he would have never done during the Trump Administration what he is doing now, no way!"
Trump also expressed outrage over Russia "taking over a country and a massive piece of strategically located land" — a stark contrast to some of his past comments downplaying Russia's occupation of Ukrainian territory.
Biden on Monday ordered sanctions on Russia-backed separatist regions after Putin moved to recognize them as independent states. Biden's address to the nation on Tuesday, set for 1 p.m., could include news of additional sanctions.
When asked in 2018 just before a summit with Putin whether he would recognize Russia's seizure of Crimea, Trump told reporters, "We'll see what Russia does." As a presidential candidate in 2016, Trump went so far as to suggest that Ukrainian people in Crimea "would rather be with Russia," echoing a key Kremlin talking point.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo later issued a formal declaration in July 2018 that the US would not recognize Russia's claim to Crimea.
The Washington Post reported in 2019 that Trump had suggested to top US officials that Ukraine was not a "real country" and that he was far more concerned about conspiracy theories about Ukrainian officials hurting his 2016 presidential campaign than he was about Russia's occupation. Putin has repeatedly suggested that Ukraine is not an actual country and has referred to Ukrainians and Russians as "one people."
The House in 2019 impeached Trump for withholding roughly $400 million in congressionally approved military aid from Ukraine as he pressured President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Biden and his son Hunter over bogus allegations of corruption. He also pressured Zelensky to launch an inquiry into a baseless conspiracy theory that Ukraine, not Russia, had interfered in the 2016 US presidential election.
Biden at the time was among Trump's top political rivals, with the 2020 election on the horizon. Trump withheld the aid from Ukraine as it fought Russia-backed rebels in the eastern Donbas region — a conflict that's claimed over 13,000 lives. Ukraine has heavily relied on US aid amid this conflict.
Throughout his presidency, Trump's amicable demeanor toward Putin and apparent willingness to trust the Russian leader prompted criticism in Washington as well as rampant speculation about the nature of their relationship. His decision to withhold military aid from Ukraine amid a war with Russia-backed forces amplified concerns about their dynamic.