Biden and Trump debate: what was said about Ukraine?
28 June 2024 10:03
The debate between US presidential candidates Joseph Biden and Donald Trump took place last night. "Komersant Ukrainian" has collected the politicians’ statements on Ukraine.
The Ukrainian issue was one of the key points of the debate, provoking an emotional reaction from both candidates.
Donald Trump started the discussion by criticising the current US leadership. He stated:
“If America had a real president that Putin respected, he would never have invaded Ukraine. A lot of people died, a lot more than people think. You can double these numbers, maybe triple them. He (Biden) did nothing to stop it.”
Trump believes that the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan contributed to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“It was a shame, the most shameful moment in the history of our country. When Putin saw it, he said: “You know what, I think we’ll go in”. It was his dream.”
At the same time, while criticising current US policy towards Ukraine, Trump accused the Biden administration of overly supporting Kyiv financially. He said:
“He (Biden) gave Ukraine $200 billion or more. That’s a lot of money. Every time Zelenskyy comes here, he takes $60 billion with him. He is the biggest seller in the world. And I’m not criticising him. I’m just saying that we shouldn’t be spending the money we’re spending on the war.”
Nevertheless, Trump has demonstrated a certain level of empathy for Ukraine and even a willingness to help it.
“He (Biden) has put us in such a bad position right now with Ukraine and Russia because Ukraine is not winning this war. They are running out of soldiers. They’ve lost so many people, it’s so sad. They’ve lost these beautiful cities with golden domes that are a thousand years old, and all because of him (Biden) and his stupid decisions. Russia would never have attacked if I had been president.”
However, Trump rejected Putin’s proposals to end the war in Ukraine. When a journalist asked him directly about this, Trump was clear:
“No, they are unacceptable.”
The former president reiterated his promise to end the war in Ukraine if re-elected, but did not provide specific details on how he plans to do so.
The day before, the media reported on Trump's plan, and it actually looks quite clear. Trump plans to bring Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table and force them to make peace, with each side retaining the territory it controls. If Ukraine refuses such a peace, the United States will cut off all aid to it. If Russia refuses such a peace, the United States arms Ukraine to the teeth so that it can defeat Russia on the battlefield as quickly as possible.
Biden’s response to these accusations was rather vague, and Ukraine was almost absent from his rhetoric. He strongly condemned Vladimir Putin’s actions, calling him a war criminal. The US president recalled Trump’s previous statements that Putin could attack any country if NATO members did not increase their defence budgets. He emphasised NATO’s key role in deterring Russia and preventing an escalation of the conflict.
“Trump wants the US to withdraw from NATO. But the strength is in our alliances. We could not have avoided a major war in Europe if not for our alliance.”
In addition, Biden warned that Putin’s ambitions are not limited to Ukraine, mentioning potential threats to Poland, Belarus and other NATO countries.
