Trump tears into Biden amid Ukraine conflict

Former President Trump tore into President Biden during a rally in South Carolina on Saturday for his approach to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. 

The former president pointed the finger at Biden for the Russian invasion, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin would have never started a war with Trump in office.

He told supporters at the rally that the U.S. needs to stay out of war and that Biden still has a chance to keep Americans out of the conflict. 

“Despite all of Biden’s weakness, cowardice and incompetence, there is still a path for him to end this tragedy without getting Americans snared into a gruesome and very bloody war,” Trump said. 

He predicted that if the invasion continues, it will lead to another world war. 

“This could lead, by the way, this could lead to World War III,” Trump said. “I see what’s happening. Because if you think Putin is going to stop, it’s going to get worse and worse. He’s not going to accept it, and we don’t have anybody to talk to him.”

In response to the invasion, Biden has levied harsh sanctions against Russia and this week announced a ban  on Russian oil, natural gas and coal imports.

Trump said the U.S. will not be able to end its dependence on Russian oil until it commits to “end Biden’s ridiculous war on American energy,” sounding a familiar note, as Republicans have for months sought to blame the president and Democrats for rising gas prices by tying them to what they argue is a lack of energy independence under the Biden administration. Analysts, however, have attributed the high prices seen in recent months to supply and demand mismatches related to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We have to get our great energy works drilling, pumping, producing, mining and refining like never before,” Trump said.

He also went after Biden for last year waiving sanctions on the Russian firm behind the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, a move that at the time drew pushback from Democrats and Republicans alike, who said the administration should take a harder stance on Russia. Biden last month announced sanctions against the company amid the building conflict in Ukraine.

Trump further criticized the Biden administration for its willingness to engage with countries such as Venezuela, Iran and Saudi Arabia to potentially make up for the void left by Russian oil imports.

“And now Biden is crawling around the globe on his knees begging and pleading for mercy from Saudi Arabia, Iran and Venezuela,” Trump said.

Trump said Biden was “groveling at the feet of the oil-rich and brutal Maduro regime,” referring to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Lawmakers have also criticized the administration for engaging with the countries over oil, saying the White House should not switch from dealing with one dictatorship to another to stabilize global energy markets.

Trump has previously called the Russian invasion of Ukraine “a holocaust,” though he praised Putin for his strategy in the days leading up to the conflict.