Trump, Who Withheld Military Aid, Boasts Ukrainians Are Doing Well Against Russia ‘Because Of The Weapons That I Gave’

Former President Donald Trump told Maria Bartiromo on Wednesday that “Russia has gotten in deeper than they ever thought possible” because of the “weapons I gave and that the Ukrainians use so well.”

Trump’s comment is the latest in a string of remarks in which he claims that he helped to bolster Ukrainian defenses and that Vladimir Putin would not have attacked Ukraine were he still president.

Critics have been quick to debunk the claims and recall the fact that Trump withheld Congress-approved military aid to Ukraine unless Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky would announce an investigation into Joe Biden. Trump’s demand from Zelensky led to his December 2019 impeachment and eventual acquittal by the then Republican-controlled U.S. Senate.

In January 2020 the Government Accountability Office released a report detailing that the Trump administration broke the law by withholding congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine over the summer.

The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg notes of Trump’s attempt to rewrite his presidency, “History will note Trump wanted the US out of @NATO because he thinks it’s a protection racket/country club, his blackmail of @ZelenskyyUa over the weapons Ukraine needs to fight Russia now, and Germany’s decision to boost defense spending is due in part to @POTUS’ diplomatic work.”

History will note Trump wanted the US out of @NATO because he thinks it’s a protection racket/country club, his blackmail of @ZelenskyyUa over the weapons Ukraine needs to fight Russia now, and Germany’s decision to boost defense spending is due in part to @POTUS’ diplomatic work pic.twitter.com/yIRA1im5YN

— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) February 28, 2022

Politico’s Sam Stein adds, “Trump, who discussed pulling the US from NATO takes credit for NATO’s existence in a new statement. Trump, who threatened to withhold weapons funding from Ukraine to get dirt on Biden, takes credit for Ukrainian weapons in same statement.”

Trump, who discussed pulling the US from NATO takes credit for NATO’s existence in a new statement. Trump, who threatened to withhold weapons funding from Ukraine to get dirt on Biden, takes credit for Ukrainian weapons in same statement. pic.twitter.com/OvyorRtHmh

— Sam Stein (@samstein) February 28, 2022

The Atlantic’s David Frum predicts where this is all headed: “The people who formerly defended Trump for cutting off weapons to Ukraine unless Zelensky delivered dirty tricks to Trump’s re-election campaign … are maybe a half-day away from posting their “I stand with Ukraine” hashtags.”

One indication of how the war is going is watching formerly pro-Putin, anti-Ukraine voices in this country’s politics and media abruptly commerce their pivots

— David Frum (@davidfrum) February 26, 2022

Watch the full clip of Trump’s remarks above, via Fox Business

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