Republican Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton has defended former President Donald Trump’s State of the Union comments on Ukraine, noting that the country is only invaded when Democrats are in the White House. Crimea was illegally annexed by the Kremlin in 2014 during former President Barack Obama’s second term. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 a little over a year after President Joe Biden entered the White House.
During the interview with State of the Union Host Jake Tapper, Cotton was grilled over Trump’s claims that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy never stops seeking US assistance in its war with Russia. Cotton also suggested that the military aid sent to Ukraine by the Trump administration was more effective in fending off Russian aggression in the war’s early stages than the aid supplied under Biden’s leadership.
The senator blasted Biden over the chaotic withdrawal of US armed forces from Afghanistan in 2021, arguing that this was the reason Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to “go for the jugular” in Ukraine. Cotton clarified that Trump supports Ukraine over Russia and wants victory for Ukraine, but argued that Europe needs to “do more” and “care more” about a conflict in its “backyard”.
Cotton said that the White House needed to “get tough” on America’s allies and foreign leaders who are “free-riding” on the strength of the US military. He argued that only under Trump will European leaders “finally” invest in “common sense”.
Watch the entire discussion below:
