Immediate past US President Joe Biden has criticized Donald Trump’s approach to the war in Ukraine, calling it a policy of “modern-day appeasement” by encouraging Ukraine to give up territory to Russia.
In an interview with the BBC—his first since leaving office—Biden said that such a move would never satisfy Moscow.
“I just don’t understand how people think that if we allow a dictator, a thug, to decide he’s going to take significant portions of land that aren’t his, that that’s going to satisfy him,” he said.
Biden argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin believes Ukraine belongs to “mother Russia.”
“Anybody who thinks he’s going to stop is just foolish,” Biden added.
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Trump, Biden’s successor, has pushed for a ceasefire in Ukraine and reduced pressure on Russia, which invaded its neighbor in 2022.
Trump has said he wants to stop the killing.
Biden warned that Trump’s actions could shake confidence in U.S. global leadership.
“Europe is going to lose confidence in the certainty of America and the leadership of America,” he said.
He added that European leaders are beginning to question Washington’s reliability.
“Europe’s leaders were wondering, well, what do I do now?… Can I rely on the United States? Are they going to be there?” Biden said.
He also commented on a tense February meeting at the White House between Trump, his aides, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“I found it sort of beneath America in the way that took place,” he said.
(Reuters)
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