Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that he has “noticed that Russian President Vladimir Putin only invades Ukraine and Democrats are president.”
Anchor Jake Tapper said, “Let’s start with Ukraine, which I know is an issue you care about in terms of military aid. Last night at a rally in Michigan, the former president, Mr. Trump, went after Ukrainian President Zelenskyy for constantly seeking U.S. aid, saying, ‘It never ends, it never ends.’ This is a criticism that comes after he reportedly told House Republicans that the money the U.S. is sending to Ukraine isn’t worth it and asking, ‘If Ukraine wins, what will be the benefit?’ Now, you’ve been a strong supporter of military aid to Ukraine to fend off Putin’s war. What is your answer to that question? What will be the benefit if Ukraine wins?”
Cotton said, “I think it’s important to look at the context of what’s happened in Ukraine over the last ten years. I’ve noticed that Vladimir Putin only invades Ukraine, and Democrats are president. It happened under Barack Obama. It happened under Joe Biden. It didn’t happen with Donald Trump. In fact, the weapons that Ukraine used in the early days of this war to fend off the Russian invasion are the weapons that Donald Trump sent, that Barack Obama and Joe Biden had refused to send. One reason why Vladimir Putin thought he could get away with going for the jugular and Ukraine is because of the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, which projected weakness and indecision. It was just a few weeks later that he began to mass troops on Ukraine’s border. President Trump has said that he believes and supports Ukraine’s survival and strength, but he also thinks that Europe should do more.”
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