President-elect Donald Trump hinted Monday that he may overturn President Joe Biden’s recent decision to let Ukrainian soldiers to use American long-range weaponry to strike deeper into Russian territory.
Trump labeled Biden’s choice last month “stupid.” He also complained that his incoming administration was not contacted before Biden made the decision. Biden eased the limits, allowing Ukraine to utilize the Army Tactical Missile System provided by the United States to hit Russian forces hundreds of miles from its border.
“I don’t think that should have been allowed, not when there’s a possibility — certainly not just weeks before I take over,” Trump said at a broad news conference at his Mar-a-Lago property. “Why would they do that without asking for my opinion? I would not have had him do that. I believe it was a tremendous error.
Trump’s harsh condemnation of the Biden administration’s move comes as the Democratic government works to get every dollar already authorized for Ukraine out the door to assist repel Russia’s incursion before Trump takes office on January 20, with future funding uncertain.
Even as Biden tries to increase armament and other aid to Ukraine in his final five weeks in office, the moment demonstrated that Trump wields the most power over how Ukraine uses its US-supplied arsenal in the long run. It’s a significant piece of leverage he may use to try to carry out his campaign promise of bringing the fight to an end quickly.
When asked if he would consider overturning the Biden administration decision, Trump replied, “I might. I think it was a stupid thing to do.
The White House rebutted Trump’s criticism, stating that the decision was reached after months of deliberation that began before last month’s election.
“All I can assure you is that in the conversations we’ve had with them since the election, and we’ve had at various levels, we’ve articulated to them the logic behind it, the thinking behind it, and why we were doing it,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said of the current administration’s coordination with the previous administration.
Trump’s relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin has been examined since his 2016 presidential campaign, when he urged Russia to uncover and make public missing emails deleted by his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. Trump publicly supported Putin despite US intelligence experts on whether Russia participated in the 2016 election to aid him, and he has lauded the Russian leader, even calling him “pretty smart” for conquering Ukraine.
Vice President-elect JD Vance has stated that, while the United States has disputes with Russia, approaching Moscow as an enemy is futile.
On Monday, Trump reaffirmed his demand to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the war, calling the conflict’s death and misery “carnage.”
However, Trump appeared to accept that finding an immediate endpoint to the fight — which he earlier stated he could accomplish within 24 hours of assuming office — could be challenging.
“I think the Middle East will be in a good place,” Trump added, referring to the turmoil in Gaza and an unstable Syria following Bashar al-Assad’s fall. “I think actually more difficult is going to be the Russia-Ukraine situation.”
Trump declined to say if he has spoken with Putin since the election.
Zelenskyy met with Trump in Paris earlier this month, when the president-elect was there to commemorate the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral. Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials have worked hard to persuade Trump to maintain his support for Ukraine.
However, the situation in Ukraine remains delicate as both sides compete for a battlefield advantage that will give them influence in any negotiations to end the nearly three-year conflict.
The Pentagon last week revealed U.S. intelligence that forecasts Russia will launch its dangerous new intermediate-range ballistic missile against Ukraine soon.
Putin launched the missile for the first time last month, days after Biden relaxed sanctions on Ukraine. Putin warned the West that Russia’s next move may be against Ukraine’s NATO partners, who permitted Kyiv to launch longer-range missiles into Russia.
After months of pressure from Zelenskyy and his Western backers, Biden agreed to lift the limitations. They claimed that the US prohibition made it hard for Ukraine to combat Russian strikes on its towns and power networks.
The outgoing president took the decision last month, citing fears about Russia’s deployment of hundreds of North Korean troops to assist reclaim land in the Kursk border region, which Ukraine seized earlier this year.
