Benzinga - Former President Donald Trump said the war in Ukraine would’ve never happened if he were still in office.
His former White House Communication Director, however, begs to differ.
According to Anthony Scaramucci, the situation in Ukraine would be worse if Trump were still president. In fact, if Trump were still in power, Russian President Vladimir Putin would have taken the opportunity to invade neighboring Poland as well, he says.
Scaramucci, notorious for his brief stint working in the Trump White House, made the comments at the SALT Conference in Dubai. He also recalled Trump's plan to disband NATO, the 74-year-old military alliance between the U.S., Canada, and Europe which keeps Russian aggression in check.
Had that happened, it would have weakened the Western alliance and emboldened Putin, Scaramucci explained.
“Putin would be in Poland," Scaramucci said. "He’d be marching right through Poland... You have to take Trump at his word, and he wanted to deconstruct NATO, and I think that's set up a recipe for a disaster.”
The invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces on Feb. 24, 2022 last year sparked international condemnation. NATO and its allies continue to provide Ukraine with unprecedented levels of support.
Scaramucci's comments underscore a key issue with Trump's approach to foreign policy. During his presidency, outside of questioning the U.S. involvement in NATO, Trump frequently made comments critical of the alliance.
While the U.S. did not withdraw from NATO during his presidency, Trump's comments had the potential to undermine the alliance and embolden America's adversaries.
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