Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) suggests that President Joe Biden is “losing” to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Speaking in South Carolina on Tuesday, Graham said, “You said a couple years ago that Putin does not want you to win because you’re the only person who could go toe to toe with him.”
“Well, right now, Mr. President, you’re playing footsie with Putin, and you’re losing. He’s walking all over you and our allies,” he added.
Graham in SC: "You said a couple yrs ago that Putin does not want you to win bc you're the only person who could go toe to toe w/him.
— Scott Wong (@scottwongDC) February 22, 2022
"Well right now, Mr President, you're playing footsie with Putin and you're losing. He's walking all over you and our allies."
In Feb. 2020, Biden tweeted, “Vladimir Putin doesn’t want me to be president. He doesn’t want me to be our nominee. If you’re wondering why — it’s because I’m the only person in this field who’s ever gone toe-to-toe with him.”
Vladimir Putin doesn’t want me to be President. He doesn’t want me to be our nominee. If you’re wondering why — it’s because I’m the only person in this field who’s ever gone toe-to-toe with him.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) February 21, 2020
And in a 2019 campaign video, Biden said, “Putin knows if I am president of the United States, his days of tyranny and trying to intimidate the United States and those in Eastern Europe are over.”
“I’m going to stand up to him. He’s a bully just like [former President Donald Trump]. And I know he doesn’t want me to be president. But I tell you what, when I’m president, things are going to change,” he added.
Joe Biden in 2019: "Putin knows that when I am president of the United States his days of tyranny and trying to intimidate the United States and those in Eastern Europe are over." pic.twitter.com/aP2S6hsO95
— Dan O'Donnell (@DanODonnellShow) February 22, 2022
On Monday, Putin announced that he would recognize the independence of two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.
As NPR notes, “Putin’s declaration names the regions the Luhansk People’s Republic and the Donetsk People’s Republic. Both are unrecognized territories carved out by Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas region of east Ukraine after fighting broke out there with Ukrainian government forces in 2014.”
Putin later announced that he would send Russian troops to those regions as part of a “peacekeeping” mission.
And on Tuesday, he demanded the end of arms shipments to Ukraine as well as the end of its bid to join NATO.