With a slew of economic sanctions against Russia announced by President Joe Biden last week, former President Donald Trump had nothing but praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggressive stance toward Ukraine.
U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) tweeted Feb. 23, sharing a link to an article by The New York Times, highlighting Trump’s comments on a conservative radio talk show. The former president praised Putin’s aggression as “genius” and claimed the Russian leader was “very savvy” for describing troops aligned on the Ukrainian border as "peacekeepers."
"This is bizarre and deeply dangerous — but sadly to be expected from Trump and his fawning admiration of Putin. It should go without saying that we shouldn’t celebrate authoritarianism. We should unite against Russian aggression and stand with our allies," Hirono tweeted.
Putin wasn’t the only subject of Trump’s recent comments. According to The New York Times, Trump ridiculed Biden, accusing him of a failure to address Putin’s recognition of two Russian-backed separatist territories in Ukraine.
Since Trump left office, Republicans have been split on how to respond to Russian aggression. While some, like U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC), have called for harsh sanctions against the country, other Trump supporters have argued the U.S. should play no part in punishing Russia.
In a statement last week, Trump added the Russian aggression toward Ukraine would not have happened if he were still president.