Former US President Joe Biden has accused Donald of ‘modern-day appeasement’ in his dealings with the Kremlin, as he brands it ‘foolish’ to think Putin would concede if parts of Ukraine were given in a peace deal.
Biden voiced his worries about relations between US-Europe declining under the Trump administration, as Allied nations marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day this week.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4, he described the possibility of post World War II ally-ship breaking down as a ‘grave concern,’ adding that it ‘would change the modern history of the world.’
The 82-year-old also took a swipe at Trump branding his dealings with the Kremlin as ‘modern day appeasement’, while pointing out that Putin ‘can’t stand the fact’ the Soviet Union has ‘collapsed’.
He later quipped: ‘That anyone who thinks he is going to stop is just foolish.’
It comes as the US inferred Ukraine should concede parts of the country in order to secure a peace deal with the Kremlin, and should accept Russian control of Crimea – a peninsula annexed by the country in 2014.
Trump told TIME magazine in April: ‘Crimea will stay with Russia. Zelensky understands that,’ he continued, referring to the Ukrainian president: ‘And everybody understands that it’s been with them for a long time.’
Former US President Joe Biden has accused Donald of ‘modern-day appeasement’ in his dealings with the Kremlin,
In an interview with BBC Radio 4 Today, he branded it foolish to think Putin would stop if parts of Ukraine were conceded in a peace deal
Shortly after, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky doubled down on Crimea, rejecting any suggestion Ukraine will hand over the region to the Kremlin
Biden has since said that he couldn’t understand why people believed ‘dictator’ Putin would be satisfied if he is allowed to ‘take significant portions of land that aren’t his.’
And not only did he express concerns that Europe’s confidence in the US and its leadership would decline, he also feared NATO countries bordering Russia would also follow suit in making ‘accommodation[s]’ to the Kremlin.
He added: ‘We [the US] are the only nation in a position to lead the world, otherwise you are going to have China or the Russian Soviet Union stepping up.
‘Imagine if there was no NATO, do you think Putin would have stopped at Ukraine? I don’t understand how they fail to understand there is strength in alliances. There’s benefits. It saves us money overall.’
It comes as an explosive row erupted between Trump and Zelensky in a televised meeting in the Oval Office, an incident Biden said was ‘beneath America in the way that [it] took place.’
More recently, Trump accused the Russian despot of ‘stringing him along’ over Ukraine peace talks – as Trump’s fury over Russia’s latest deadly missile strikes against Kyiv boiled over.
And in a remarkable warming of relations, the 78-year-old billionaire embraced Ukrainian leader Zelensky during a fleeting meeting in the Vatican ahead of the funeral of the late Pontiff at the end of April.
It was first time the two world leaders spoke to one another face to face since their disastrous White House clash earlier this year, which had threatened to destroy diplomatic relations between the US and Ukraine.
His statement came the same day he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Vatican City while they were both at the funeral for Pope Francis
It was the first time the pair met face to face since their disastrous meeting in February
Trump and Zelensky’s meeting on February 28 in the Oval Office did not go as well as their second attempt in Rome on Saturday
Pictured: Young girls crying at a site of a destroyed house following a deadly Russian strike on Thursday
Friends of Danylo Hudya, 17, who was killed in the strike, gather together at the remains of a house
The encounter, which was followed by Trump’s furious outburst against Putin, was later celebrated as Pope Francis’ last ‘miracle’.
‘It was also moving to see what they are now calling ‘Pope Francis’s miracle’ with Trump and Zelensky meeting, there’s so many things that happened today – it was just overwhelming,’ Professor Father Francesco Giordano told Sky News.
Talks between the Ukrainian and American leaders were ‘very productive’, according to White House communications director Steven Cheung, with Zelensky later taking to X echoing his hopes for ‘results’ on their discussions.
‘Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out,’ he wrote: ‘Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results.’
Later, in a furious broadside against Putin, Trump accused the Russian of trying to scupper peace talks with his repeated onslaught against Ukraine.
‘There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days. It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently,’ the American leader raged in a post on Truth Social today.
Trump – who has since landed back in America with his wife Melania, said the US had to deal ‘differently’ with the Kremlin’ either via ‘banking’ and ‘secondary sanctions.’
‘Too many people are dying!!!’ he wrote, referring to the Russian military strikes on Kyiv which left 12 dead, and several buildings destroyed.
