Former President Donald Trump, who has been criticized for praising Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s invasion of Ukraine as “shrewd,” called for NATO to try to end the war, which he said is a “massive crime against humanity.”
Speaking to donors at a Republican National Committee event in New Orleans, Trump called the 30-nation Western alliance a “paper tiger” and said the United States cannot stand by as Russia devastates its neighbor, according to the Washington Post, which obtained a recording of Trump’s remarks.
“At what point do we [say we] cannot take this massive crime against humanity?” Trump asked. “We can’t let it happen. We can’t let it continue to happen.”
COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE WAR IN UKRAINE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
NATO is currently sending military aid to Ukraine but has resisted direct involvement, such as imposing a “no-fly” zone over Ukraine, in order to prevent a war between nuclear powers that could quickly spin out of control. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenzky has repeatedly called for more help for his besieged country.
Trump suggested, perhaps not seriously, that the U.S. “put Chinese flags on America’s F-22s and then bomb the s***” out of Russia while “we sit back and watch” a war between Russia and China.
While Trump’s prior comments calling Putin “smart” about invading Ukraine have been taken as unqualified praise for the Russian leader, he has condemned the war in Ukraine. At the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, he said he was “praying for the proud people of Ukraine” and called Zelensky a “brave man.”
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“This horrific disaster would never have happened if our election was not rigged and if I was president,” he said.
Of Putin, Trump said at CPAC the Russian leader was outwitting Biden and Western leaders.
“They so far allowed him to get away with this travesty and assault on humanity,” Trump said. “Putin is playing Biden like a drum.”
