Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) stated President Trump is repeating errors he made in Afghanistan by not together with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in talks to finish his nation’s battle with Russia.
“It’s a terrible mistake not to have the Ukrainian leader in the talks,” Bacon stated in an interview with CNN’s Pamela Brown on Monday.
“We’ve seen a history of this. I remember when the Trump administration was negotiating with the Taliban without the Afghan government. That really weakened the Afghan government thereafter,” he added.
The Trump administration brokered a cope with the Taliban in 2020 that laid out a plan for the U.S. to completely withdraw from Afghanistan by Might 2021 if the group upheld sure commitments, resembling denying protected haven to al Qaeda.
However the withdrawal, executed by the Biden administration, went awry, with the Taliban taking management of main cities quicker than U.S. officers had anticipated, and U.S.-trained and outfitted Afghan forces failing to supply a lot resistance.
Now, amid fallout from a tense Oval Workplace assembly between Zelensky and Trump, Ukrainian and U.S. top-level officers are assembly in Saudi Arabia to debate the battle, however Zelensky himself isn’t anticipated to be in attendance.
“Ukraine is our ally. They wish to be a part of the West. Russia is our adversary, and it is time that this administration will get this of their mind,” Bacon stated.
Bacon criticized the Trump administration’s common strategy to coping with Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying Republican voters are vital of the White Home’s strikes.
“They’re treating Putin with velvet gloves, and so they’re being harsh to our allies,” Bacon stated. “I got to tell you, I’m hearing from all over the world, but particularly lots of Republicans in Omaha, who do not like what they see.”
Bacon stated worldwide gamers are questioning whether or not the U.S. is “still the leader of the free world,” saying, “it appears to many leaders and people all over, to include Republicans in Nebraska, that this administration is walking away from that legacy that was built by” GOP presidents together with Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan.
He referred to as for the U.S. to pursue a overseas coverage below which the U.S. stands up for freedom.
“I’m not interested in a foreign policy that is totally built on realism or transactionalism, where it’s just, ‘What do we have in it for us?’ I believe in having a foreign policy that’s a mix of realism, protecting our country, and idealism, where we’re the leaders standing for freedom, free markets and rule of law,” he added.
Bacon stated it’s essential to be “clear-eyed” and have “moral clarity” in the case of Putin.
“Putin invaded Ukraine. He is murdered all of his political opponents. He tried to kill a earlier Ukrainian prime minister. He is bombing cities. He is ramped up the bombing of cities since President Trump has been harsh in direction of President Zelensky.
“We’re playing into the hands of Putin, and I think it’s devastating for our national security and our foreign affairs for the years to come. So I’m very concerned,” he stated.
