Responsibility for the Russia-Ukraine Conflict
On his show Monday, Stephen A. Smith of ESPN stated that President Biden holds more responsibility than former President Trump regarding the conflict leading to the Russia-Ukraine war.
This war commenced under Biden’s administration in February 2022, following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 during Obama’s presidency. Smith mentioned the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, signed by Clinton, as a contributing factor to the ongoing situation.
Smith remarked, “We can’t act like it was just Trump who caused this. It’s Biden, who took office knowing full well a war with Ukraine could escalate, regardless of what Trump might have said about Russia.” He criticized the previous disarmament of Ukraine, asserting that this left the nation vulnerable and dependent on the U.S. for security.
According to the agreement, Ukraine had given up its nuclear weapons in exchange for security assurances from the U.S., the UK, and Russia. Smith continued, “Now they have to seek the support we promised them. We owe it to the Ukrainians.” He expressed his reluctance about U.S. financial support, saying he didn’t particularly enjoy spending taxpayer money on foreign aid.
In a joint press conference with U.S. officials in Alaska, Russian President Putin suggested that the war could have been avoided had Trump remained in office. He recalled attempting to persuade American leaders against escalating tensions during his last interaction with the previous administration in 2022, deeming it a significant mistake.
Putin claimed, “If Trump were president, there wouldn’t be a war. I’m sure of it.” He encouraged others to verify this statement.
In response to the conflict, Biden enacted sanctions against two Russian banks and prohibited U.S. investments, trade, and financing in certain Ukrainian regions recognized by Putin as independent. Additionally, just before Russia’s invasion of Kiev, Biden stated he would be reinstating economic sanctions on the Nordstream 2 gas pipeline, hinting at further actions if Russia continued its aggressions.
