Former US president Joe Biden, in his first interview since leaving the White House, accused his successor Donald Trump of appeasing Russia by pressuring Ukraine to give up its territory.
Biden told the BBC that Russian President Vladimir Putin believes Ukraine is part of Russia and that “anybody that thinks he’s going to stop” if Ukrainian territory is conceded as part of a peace deal “is just foolish.”
Asked about the Trump administration’s suggestions that Kyiv give up territory to end the war, Biden said: “It is modern-day appeasement.”
“What the hell’s going on here? What president ever talks like that? That’s not who we are. We’re about freedom, democracy, opportunity. Not about confiscation.”
Biden’s interview with the BBC’s Today program came just over 100 days into Trump’s presidency, during which the Republican leader has reshaped US domestic and foreign policy.
“I’m worried that Europe is going to lose confidence in the certainty of America and the leadership of America and the world, to deal with not only NATO but other matters that have a consequence,” Biden said.
His interview also coincides with allied nations this week marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.
“I fear our allies around the world are going to begin to doubt whether we’re going to stay where we’ve always been in the last 80 years,” Biden said.
– KING OR PRESIDENT? –
Biden was also asked about his own record on the Russia-Ukraine war. Trump has sought to “recoup” money given to Ukraine by Biden’s administration for Kyiv’s wartime effort.
“We gave them everything they needed to provide for their independence and we were prepared to respond, more aggressively, if Putin moved again,” Biden said.
“It’s the values that the vast majority of the American people value. Do everything we can to avoid war, but not yield to tyrants. Not yield.”
Trump has also drawn criticism in recent days after saying he didn’t know whether he must uphold the US Constitution, the nation’s founding legal document.
He has repeatedly brushed up against legal guardrails since returning to the White House, notably over his mass deportations of undocumented migrants and his suggestions that he could run for an unconstitutional third term.
Asked if he thought Trump was behaving more like a king than a constitutionally limited president, Biden replied: “He’s not behaving like a Republican president.”
However, he acknowledged he was less worried about the future of US democracy than he was “because I think the Republican Party is waking up to what Trump is about.”