Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday praised President Donald Trump’s recent change in how he talks about the Russia-Ukraine war.
Speaking on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Clinton welcomed Trump’s Tuesday Truth Social post saying that Ukraine could win the more than three-year fight and maybe get back land lost to Russia. The comments came after Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the United Nations General Assembly. During that meeting, Trump told reporters that NATO countries should shoot down Russian planes in their airspace. He also called Russia a “paper tiger,” which Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later dismissed.
According to The Hill, Clinton said that Trump is “coming to grips with the fact that Vladimir Putin does not respond to any kind of rhetoric, he only responds to strength.” She stressed the need to show strength when dealing with the Russian leader, saying “You have to show strength. You have to back strength. You have to be strong in order to deal with him.” Clinton called Putin a “clear and present danger to all of Europe, and therefore, to the United States.”
Trump’s changing view on Ukraine war
Trump’s recent comments show a big change from how he talked about the war before. During the 2024 presidential campaign, the president said he could solve the fight in 24 hours because of his relationship with Putin. Trump now says he believes Ukraine, with help from the European Union and NATO, could win back all the land Russia has taken since its attack more than three years ago.
Before this, Trump said Ukraine would need to give up some land to end the war. In February, he had a heated talk with Zelensky in the Oval Office, telling the Ukrainian leader, “You don’t have the cards” and “Your country is in big trouble. You’re not winning.” This fight led to canceled plans for a deal giving the US future shares of Ukrainian minerals in exchange for more American money. The political tensions during this time raised questions about when Trump’s presidency might face challenges.
Even though Trump has tried to negotiate an end to the fight, Russia has kept attacking Ukraine. Last month, at a meeting with Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, Trump left without a ceasefire deal but called it a “very productive meeting.” Putin said Russia needs to get rid of the “primary roots” of the war without giving details. The meeting came while people kept talking about Trump’s relationship with Russia and Putin.
Clinton, who lost to Trump in the 2016 presidential election, said before that she would nominate the president for the Nobel Peace Prize if he could end the Russia-Ukraine war without making Ukraine give up land to Russia. She said in August that if Trump could get a ceasefire while standing up to Putin and making it clear Ukraine doesn’t have to accept “Putin’s vision of greater Russia,” she would support such recognition.
