Former Democratic presidential candidate and secretary of state Hillary Clinton asserted that more could be done to avert the Russia-Ukraine war crisis.
Hillary Clinton Grilled Biden on Russian Crisis
During an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Clinton praised the strategy of Biden in the war. However, she pointed out the room for improvement in the US strategy against Russia.
According to her, America is accessing the situation with its eyes wide open. Russian aggression is not only detrimental to Ukraine, but also to Europe, global security, and democracy.
She claimed American sanctions against Russia and the aid given to Ukraine were not enough.
Thus, she recommended Biden to “double down” efforts against Russia, adding that more pressure and stress could be included in US strategy against the former Cold War foe.
Clinton also appreciated the Ukrainian military, amid their resolve to push back Russian forces from the key city of Kyiv. In addition to that, she emphasized more aid should be given to Ukraine so that they could continue defending their country.
Hillary Clinton: 'Double down on the pressure' on Russia https://t.co/rBfGkSqI52
— Alex (@auroraalex630) April 4, 2022
The former presidential candidate added that Russia should be stopped from rejoining international organizations and all countries should boycott them if they try to do so.
Even though the Biden administration sanctioned Russia severely, Clinton mentioned the only way to save Ukraine, democracy, and Europe is to impose even “greater costs on Putin.”
In his bid to choke Russia more, Biden could have sanctioned more banks of the country from SWIFT. Likewise, the Russian oil and gas sector should have been hit further by the western powers, Clinton established.
Clinton Scrutinized Biden in the Past, as Well
As European countries are eliminating their reliance on Russian energy, Americans can speed up this process, according to the former secretary of state.
Despite suggesting a whole slate of recommendations for Biden, Clinton defended the president’s strategy in the crisis.
Reiterating Biden’s narrative, she stated the US did an exceptional job by declassifying intelligence regarding false flag operations, which stopped Putin from walking that path.
This is not the first time Clinton scrutinized Biden over a foreign policy failure. After the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, Clinton was asked if the president increased his political woes with the crisis.
Responding to this, Clinton noted she thinks “this is obviously the case.”
EXCLUSIVE: "I don't think [Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan] helped" his numbers ahead of midterms, @hillaryclinton says.
"Democrats, in office and out, need to do a better job of making the case" to voters. pic.twitter.com/z1MY3hxLJ8
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) April 3, 2022
Biden’s unassertive stance against Russia has always remained controversial since the start of the war.
He remained hesitant to ban Russian oil imports until Republican pressure mounted, which forced the president to ban the imports. The GOP advised the president to make America self-sufficient in oil production.
However, the top Democratic leadership also spun the narrative of domestic oil production, blaming oil and gas companies for slowing down the oil supply at home. However, top industry experts denied the claims.
Similarly, the economic sanctions against Russian banks came late during the crisis, when Biden finally decided some Russian banks would not be able to use the SWIFT system.
