Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley, a staunch supporter of providing U.S. aid to Ukraine, criticized former President Donald Trump on the campaign trail, asserting he is “weak in the knees when it comes to Ukraine.”
Speaking at an event in New Hampshire, where she has surpassed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in some surveys, Haley attempted to tread lightly when it came to criticizing the former president.
“He was the right president at the right time,” she said when asked, essentially, what Trump’s legacy will be 100 years from now.
“He broke things that needed to be broken. He listened and brought in a group of people who felt unheard,” she said during her stop at the Rotary Club luncheon at the Portsmouth Country Club, where she also described the Republican frontrunner as “thin-skinned and easily distracted.”
She critiqued Trump not only on fiscal policy but also on his position on Ukraine, asserting that, “He used to be good on foreign policy and now he has started to walk it back and get weak in the knees when it comes to Ukraine.”
Haley is among those who believes it is in the United States’ best interests to provide aid to Ukraine in its defense against Russia. She also believes a Russian victory would only strengthen the country’s relationship with China, deeming Ukraine a “pro-American country that was invaded by a thug.”
NEW: @NikkiHaley explains why supporting Ukraine is putting America First. "I don't think we need to put troops on the ground. I don't think we need to write them blank checks but they have the passion to fight for their own freedom. Give them the ammunition to do it." pic.twitter.com/pIQnu0NBrg
— David Brody (@DBrodyReports) February 17, 2023
“This is bigger than Ukraine,” Haley said during a CNN town hall in June. “This is a war about freedom and it’s one we have to win.”
GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is among the minority who said he would halt United States aid to Ukraine.
Trump has also blasted Biden’s handling of Ukraine, calling on the Biden administration to “immediately end the bloodshed in Ukraine” and return “to a focus on America’s vital interest.” Trump’s statement followed Biden sending cluster munitions to Ukraine, while admitting that “we’re low on [them].”
“He should be trying to END the war and stop the horrific death and destruction being caused by an incompetent administration. These unexploded cluster munitions will be killing and maiming innocent Ukrainian men, women, and children for decades to come, long after the war—we pray—has ended,” Trump said, warning that Biden is “leading us into World War III.”
He continued:
There could be no more vivid proof that Joe Biden’s policy of endless war in Ukraine has tremendously weakened the United States than the humiliating admission that the USA is now out of ammo, something our enemies are undoubtedly salivating over. This “admitted” weakness is an invitation to enemies all over the world. Joe Biden is needlessly and dangerously leading us into World War III, which would be a nightmare beyond imagination—obliteration!
Earlier this year, Trump expressed confidence that he could end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours.
“I will end that war in one day. It will take 24 hours,” he told Nigel Farage. “I know Zelensky well. I know Putin well. I would get that ended in a period of one day.”
‘I will end that war in one day, it will take 24 hours.’
— GB News (@GBNEWS) May 3, 2023
Donald Trump says he would end the war in Ukraine in one day if he was president.
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