(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) President Trump on Thursday suggested he supports Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory in a provocative post on Truth Social, which comes less than a week after his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invaders country. It’s like a great team in sports that has a fantastic defense, but is not allowed to play offense. There is no chance of winning! It is like that with Ukraine and Russia,” the president wrote.
“Crooked and grossly incompetent Joe Biden would not let Ukraine FIGHT BACK, only DEFEND. How did that work out? Regardless, this is a war that would have NEVER happened if I were President – ZERO CHANCE. Interesting times ahead!!!” Trump added.
President Biden gave Ukraine the green light last year to use US-provided missiles on Russian territory, which Russia responded to by altering its nuclear doctrine to lower the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons, underscoring the seriousness of the escalation.
The US has also supported drone attacks on Russian territory by investing $1.5 billion in Ukraine’s domestic drone manufacturing program, and reports have said that the attacks rely on Western-provided intelligence.
Trump’s comments come amid talks and negotiations about a potential peace deal in Ukraine, though the conditions being discussed by Ukraine and its European backers make an agreement seem unlikely. Some NATO countries are insisting on sending troops to Ukraine, and Trump has suggested that he supports the idea, but Russia has made clear it’s a non-starter.
This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.
