US President-elect Donald Trump called President Joe Biden's move "stupid" and said he may reverse the policy when he takes office next month
US President-elect Donald Trump has criticized President Joe Biden's recent decision to allow Ukrainian forces to use long-range American weapons to attack deeper into Russian territory, suggesting he may reverse the policy when he takes office. .
On Monday, Trump said Biden's decision last month was "stupid" and expressed dissatisfaction that his new administration had not been consulted. Biden eased restrictions to give Kiev long-sought permission to use the U.S.-supplied Army Tactical Missile System to strike Russian positions hundreds of miles from the border.
I don't think that should have been allowed, not when there was a possibility - certainly not just a few weeks before I took office," Trump said during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. .
"Why would they do that without asking me what I thought? I wouldn't have let him do that. I think it was a big mistake," he added.
Trump suggested the policy change should have been delayed until after his inauguration on January 20, adding: "Maybe (he will reverse the decision). I think it was a very stupid thing to do."
The White House defended the measure, with National Security spokesman John Kirby stating that the decision was the result of months of deliberations, which began long before the elections.
"All I can guarantee is that in the conversations that we've had with them since the election, and that we've had at various levels, we have articulated with them the underlying logic, the underlying thinking, the reason why we were doing this," Kirby said Monday. -fair.
Trump's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin has been scrutinized since his 2016 presidential campaign, when he urged Russia to locate and release missing emails deleted by his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.
Trump has publicly supported Putin over US intelligence officials over Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 election, having previously praised the Kremlin leader, describing him as "very smart" for invading Ukraine.
The US president-elect's remarks come at a time when Biden is insisting on making military aid available to Ukraine, in what are his final weeks in office and amid concerns that Trump's presidency could change the trajectory of support. from the USA to Kiev.
Trump reiterated his call for negotiations between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Putin to end the war, although he acknowledged the complexity of resolving the conflict.
"I think the Middle East is going to be in a good place," Trump said, referring to the conflict in Gaza and an unstable Syria following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. "I think the most difficult thing will be the situation between Russia and Ukraine," he added.
Trump has refused to say whether he has spoken to Putin since the election.
Biden's decision to ease restrictions on Kiev's use of US-supplied weapons came amid growing concerns about Russia sending thousands of North Korean troops to reclaim territory lost to Ukraine this year. year, particularly in the Kursk border region.
It also followed Russia's use, for the first time, of a new lethal intermediate-range ballistic missile, which US intelligence predicts could soon be used against Ukraine.
Putin warned NATO allies that future attacks could target countries that support Ukraine's use of long-range missiles over Russia's interior.
Zelenskyy, who met with Trump in Paris earlier this month, continues to urge Western leaders to maintain military support for Ukraine.
Biden's policy shift followed months of pressure from Zelenskyy and other allies, who argued that U.S. restrictions had made it impossible for Ukraine to stop Russian attacks on its cities and power grids.
As the nearly three-year war continues, both Russia and Ukraine are competing for battlefield advantage to reinforce their positions in anticipation of any future negotiations.
Tags:
World