Trump says Ukraine invasion could lead to WWIII
Donald Trump speculated that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could potentially lead to a third world war, as he took a shot at Joe Biden for his response to Vladimir Putin’s aggression.
“This could lead to World War III. I see what’s happening,” he said during a rally in South Carolina on Saturday, adding that his successor can still “end this tragedy without getting Americans snared into a gruesome and very bloody war.”
Meanwhile, a former US ambassador to Ukraine said that transcripts revealing Mr Trump’s attempts to withhold congressionally approved military aid from Ukraine during a 2019 phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky likely emboldened the Russian president.
“I think it certainly plays a part. I think Putin saw how Trump viewed Ukraine … as a pawn,” Marie Yovanovitch told NBC on Sunday.
Mr Trump was impeached for the first time following a congressional inquiry finding that he sought to withhold military aid and an invitation to the White House in exchange for President Zelensky’s announcement of an investigation into his Mr Biden, and to promote a conspiracy theory that Ukraine – not Russia – interfered in 2016 elections.
‘Dealing with Trump and his allies like wrestling an alligator’
Former Attorney General William Barr said dealing with Donald Trump and his advisers was like “wrestling an alligator”.
Speaking with NBC, Mr Barr said that he and other Cabinet secretaries had to “wrestle” with his “yes-men” to keep them “on track”.
“He cast his net broadly and talked to a lot of people, and Cabinet secretaries, all of us, frequently had to wrestle with them to accomplish things that we thought would keep them on track, and we were successful generally, but … it was frequently like wrestling an alligator,” he told the outlet.
“After the election, he would just listen to this group of people who had no government position but were telling him exactly what he wanted to hear,” added Mr Barr. “He’s ultimately to blame for that. There’s something about him that he wants to be surrounded by yes men.”
Namita Singh14 March 2022 05:02
‘Trump’s Ukraine phone call central to impeachment may have emboldened Putin’
Transcripts revealing Donald Trump’s attempts to withhold congressionally approved military aid from Ukraine during a 2019 phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky likely emboldened Vladimir Putin, claims former US ambassador to Ukraine.
“I think it certainly plays a part. I think Putin saw how Trump viewed Ukraine … as a pawn,” Marie Yovanovitch told NBC on Sunday.
“The release of that transcript showed the world that we had an administration that was willing to trade our national security for personal and political gain,” she said.
Mr Trump’s first impeachment was centered on him putting nearly $400mn military aid sanctioned for Ukraine on hold in exchange for President Volodymyr Zelensky’s announcement of an investigation into his political opponent Joe Biden.
Alex Woodward has the details:
Namita Singh14 March 2022 04:33
Trump warns against third world war
Former president Donald Trump speculated that Russia’s attack on Ukraine could potentially lead to a third world war.
“This could lead to World War III. I see what’s happening,” he told supporters during a rally in Florence on Saturday. “Because if you think Putin’s gonna stop, it’s gonna get worse and worse. He’s not gonna accept it. And we don’t have anybody to talk to him. You had somebody to talk to him with me. Nobody was ever tougher on Russia…