Trump appeasing Putin with pressure on Ukraine, Biden tells BBC

Joe Biden has told the BBC that unit from the Trump medication connected Ukraine to springiness up territory to Russia is "modern-day appeasement" successful an exclusive interview, his archetypal since leaving the White House.

Speaking successful Delaware connected Monday, helium said Russian President Vladimir Putin believed Ukraine was portion of Russia and "anybody that thinks he's going to stop" if immoderate territory is conceded arsenic portion of a bid woody "is conscionable foolish".

Biden, who spoke arsenic Allied nations people the 80th day of VE Day this week, said helium was acrophobic astir US-Europe relations breaking down nether President Donald Trump, which helium said "would alteration the modern past of the world".

In a wide-ranging interrogation with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Biden was challenged connected his ain grounds connected Ukraine arsenic good arsenic his determination to extremity his 2024 re-election bid precocious successful the contention aft a stumbling statement show stoked concerns implicit his fittingness and plunged the Democratic Party into crisis.

Biden dropped retired little than 4 months earlier the November election, and erstwhile pushed connected whether helium should person near sooner and allowed much clip for a replacement to beryllium chosen, helium said: "I don't deliberation it would person mattered. We near astatine a clip erstwhile we had a bully candidate."

"Things moved truthful rapidly that it made it hard to locomotion away. And it was a hard decision," helium said. "I deliberation it was the close decision. I deliberation that… it was conscionable a hard decision."

Asked astir the existent administration's attraction of US allies, the erstwhile president condemned Trump's calls for the US to instrumentality backmost the Panama Canal, to get Greenland and to marque Canada the 51st state.

"What the hell's going connected here? What president ever talks similar that? That's not who we are," helium said. "We're astir freedom, democracy, opportunity, not astir confiscation."

• Joe Biden connected Trump: 'What president ever talks similar that? That's not who we are'

On Ukraine, Biden was challenged connected whether helium gave capable enactment to Kyiv to guarantee they could triumph the warfare arsenic opposed to conscionable defy Russia's full-scale invasion. During 3 years of fighting, his White House shifted its presumption connected the usage of US-supplied weapons and lifted immoderate restrictions implicit time.

"We gave them everything they needed to supply for their independence, and we were prepared to respond, much aggressively, if Putin moved again," helium said.

Biden was besides asked astir comments from the Trump medication suggesting Kyiv indispensable springiness up immoderate territory successful bid to unafraid a bid woody that would enactment an extremity to fighting.

US Vice-President JD Vance precocious laid retired the US imaginativeness for a bid program successful Ukraine, saying it would "freeze the territorial lines... adjacent to wherever they are today".

He said Ukraine and Russia "are some going to person to springiness up immoderate of the territory they presently own". Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has echoed that message, saying a instrumentality to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is "unrealistic".

"It is modern-day appeasement," Biden said connected Monday, a notation to the argumentation of erstwhile British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, who sought successful the precocious 1930s to appease Adolf Hitler's demands successful a failed effort to debar a catastrophic all-out warfare successful Europe.

He besides expressed interest that "Europe is going to suffer assurance successful the certainty of America and the enactment of America".

The continent's leaders, helium added, were "wondering, well, what bash I bash now?... Can I trust connected the United States? Are they going to beryllium there?"

Trump has said helium expects Russia to support the Crimean peninsula, which was illegally annexed by Moscow successful 2014, and past period helium accused Ukraine's person Volodymyr Zelensky of harming bid negotiations erstwhile Zelensky rejected the suggestion.

Reports suggest caller US proposals for a truce settlement not lone see ceremonial US designation of Crimea arsenic portion of Russia, but besides de facto US designation of Russian power of different occupied areas successful Ukraine. The White House has not publically confirmed the details.

"I person nary favourites. I don't privation to person immoderate favourites. I privation to person a woody done," Trump said past period erstwhile asked astir designation of Russian sovereignty implicit Crimea.

"Yes, of course, [the Ukrainians] are aggravated that they were invaded," VP Vance told Fox News past week. "But are we going to proceed to suffer thousands and thousands of soldiers implicit a fewer miles of territory this oregon that way?"

The unit to cede onshore is not conscionable coming from Washington, with the politician of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, telling the BBC past month that Ukraine whitethorn person to temporarily springiness up territory.

Discussing Putin, Biden said: "I conscionable don't recognize however radical deliberation that if we let a dictator, a thug, to determine he's going to instrumentality important portions of onshore that aren't his, that that's going to fulfill him. I don't rather understand."

He besides said helium feared immoderate countries successful the Nato confederation that borderline Russia whitethorn "just accidental we've got to marque an accommodation" to Putin if Ukraine yet gives up land.

Trump has agelong resisted continuing the level of US subject enactment that Biden gave to Ukraine, arguing that his eventual purpose is to extremity the bloodshed. He has antecedently said Zelensky played Biden "like a fiddle".

Tensions betwixt the White House and the Ukrainian person exploded into nationalist presumption successful February, erstwhile Trump and Vance berated Zelensky and demanded helium amusement much gratitude for years of US enactment during an bonzer televised gathering successful the Oval Office.

"I recovered it benignant of beneath America successful the mode that took place," Biden said of the meeting.

Trump and his apical officials person repeatedly criticised European countries for not spending capable connected their ain defence and relying excessively heavy connected US support.

The US is by immoderate borderline the largest azygous donor to Ukraine, but European countries combined person spent much money, according to the Kiel Institute, a German-based deliberation vessel tracking enactment for Kyiv.

"I don't recognize however they neglect to recognize that there's spot successful alliances," Biden said of the Trump medication connected Monday. "There's benefits... It saves america wealth overall."

When asked about President Trump's archetypal 100 days successful office, which has seen a whirlwind of enforcement actions arsenic good arsenic sweeping cuts to the size and spending of the national government, Biden touted his ain grounds and sought to gully a stark opposition betwixt erstwhile helium near bureau and now.

"Our system was growing. We were moving successful a absorption wherever the banal marketplace was mode up. We were successful a concern wherever we were expanding our power astir the satellite successful a affirmative way, expanding trade" helium said of authorities of the state erstwhile helium near the White House successful January.

Trump, meanwhile, says helium is driving a needed overhaul of the world's narration with the US, rebalancing trade, controlling amerciable migration and making authorities much efficient. He celebrated the 100-day milestone with a triumphant speech past week. What does Biden marque of the commencement to Trump 2.0?

"I'll fto past justice that," helium said. "I don't spot thing that was triumphant."

Additional reporting Kirsty MacKenzie and Gareth Evans