Former President Barack Obama weighed in on the crisis in Ukraine, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin has been a constant threat on the world stage.
Putin has demonstrated how “ruthless” he is against others, said Obama, who called the invasion of Ukraine “reckless” and something that might not have been anticipated eight years ago.
“He has always been somebody who’s wrapped up in this twisted, distorted sense of grievance and ethnic nationalism. That part of Putin, I think, has always been there,” Obama said. “What we have seen with the invasion of Ukraine is him being reckless in a way that you might not have anticipated eight, 10 years ago, but the danger was always there.”
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Obama, who was president from 2009 to 2017, said the circumstances are “different” from when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
“The situations in each of these circumstances are different. But I think that what we’re seeing consistently is a reminder of why it’s so important for us to not take our own democracy for granted,” Obama said. “Why it’s so important for us to stand for and align ourselves with those who believe in freedom and independence.”
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As President Joe Biden grapples with how to handle America’s response to the deteriorating situation in Ukraine, Obama argued the current administration, led by his former vice president, is “doing what it needs to be doing.”
Obama’s full interview will air on Tuesday and Wednesday night during NBC Nightly News.
