FILE - President Joe Biden, left, joined by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaks during an event on the Ukraine Compact on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Washington, Thursday, July 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
Biden calls Trump’s pressure on Ukraine ‘modern-day appeasement’ in 1st post-presidential interview
LONDON (AP) 鈥 Joe Biden said in his first post-presidential interview that President Donald Trump鈥檚 pressure on Ukraine to give up territory to Russia amounts to 鈥 modern-day appeasement,鈥 a historically fraught term that refers to a failed effort to stop the Nazis from annexing land in Europe in the 1930s.
FILE - President Joe Biden, left, joined by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaks during an event on the Ukraine Compact on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Washington, Thursday, July 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
LONDON (AP) 鈥 Joe Biden said in his first post-presidential interview that President Donald Trump鈥檚 pressure on Ukraine to give up territory to Russia amounts to 鈥 modern-day appeasement,鈥 a historically fraught term that refers to a failed effort to stop the Nazis from annexing land in Europe in the 1930s.
Biden told BBC Radio 4’s 鈥淭oday鈥 program in that Trump’s statements about acquiring Panama, Greenland and Canada have bred distrust of the United States in Europe.
鈥淲hat president ever talks like that?鈥 Biden said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not who we are. We鈥檙e about freedom, democracy, opportunity 鈥 not about confiscation.鈥
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He also said it was a 鈥渄ifficult decision鈥 to in 2024 four months from Election Day to allow former Vice President Kamala Harris to challenge Trump. But, he added, making that move earlier as some critics had suggested 鈥渨ould(n’t) have mattered.鈥
The term appeasement refers to former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain鈥檚 efforts in the 1930s to appease Adolf Hitler鈥檚 moves to annex land in Europe, which failed to prevent World War II.
Trump has long dismissed the war in Ukraine as a waste of lives and American taxpayer money. Early in his presidency, Trump ordered to Ukraine 鈥 then . The two countries last week signed an agreement granting American access to Ukraine鈥檚 鈥 a return on investment, Trump suggested, that could pave the way for more U.S. aid.
He has also said that Crimea, a strategic peninsula along the Black Sea in southern Ukraine that was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, 鈥渨ill stay with Russia.鈥
Biden said he worried that relations between the U.S. and Europe was eroding under Trump, with NATO member nations reconsidering whether they trust the U.S.
鈥淓urope is going to lose confidence in the certainty of America and the leadership of America,” Biden told the BBC. The continent鈥檚 leaders, he added, were asking: “‘Can I rely on the United States? Are they going to be there?’鈥
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Of special concern, Biden said, was the administration’s proposal to let Russia keep some Ukrainian territory in an effort to strike a peace deal that would put an end to fighting.
鈥淚t is modern-day appeasement,鈥 Biden said.
Biden said Trump’s in the Oval Office in February was 鈥渂eneath America.鈥
鈥淚 don鈥檛 understand how they fail to understand that there鈥檚 strength in alliances,鈥 Biden said of the Trump administration on Monday.
Asked about Trump’s triumphant celebration of his first 100 days in office, Biden replied that he’ll let history render the judgement.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 see anything that was triumphant,鈥 he said.
