Former President Donald Trump has accused President Joe Biden of being “compromised” due to his connections to Ukraine, and has strongly opposed the country’s potential admission into NATO. Trump made these remarks in a video posted on his campaign’s official Twitter account on July 20. These comments came at the same time that Republican lawmakers released an FBI form containing an unverified allegation from a confidential source. The source claimed that President Biden and his son Hunter Biden received bribes from the CEO of Ukrainian energy company Burisma. The White House, however, dismissed these allegations as debunked.
Trump’s statements also follow Biden’s involvement in discussions regarding Ukraine’s potential NATO membership. Ukraine has been pushing to join the political and military alliance, which promotes democracy. Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed concern about NATO expanding into Ukraine, considering it a threat to Russian security. Trump argued that admitting Ukraine into NATO at this time would be “completely unhinged” given the circumstances.
The former Republican president suggested that President Biden is unfit and incapable of making wise decisions for the United States. The White House has previously released statements affirming Biden’s fitness for the presidency based on medical examinations. According to Trump, this “incompetent administration” should not risk conflict with nuclear-armed countries like Russia and China.
Biden, on the other hand, stated last week that now may not be the right time for Ukraine to join NATO given the ongoing war with Russia. The United States has provided significant aid to Ukraine since the hostilities began in 2022. While NATO expressed support for Ukraine’s eventual admission, they did not provide a clear pathway or timeline for this to happen during a recent summit.
Trump is currently the frontrunner for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election against Joe Biden. His Republican rivals have differing opinions on Ukraine’s NATO membership. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy both oppose Ukraine joining NATO, while former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley sees no reason why Ukraine shouldn’t be part of the alliance. Former Vice President Mike Pence suggests the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO after the conflict with Russia concludes.
During his recent European trip, Biden aimed to demonstrate international unity against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.