Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz stated Wednesday on Fox Business that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should “recalibrate” his approach toward former President Donald Trump, arguing that his current stance is not working in his favor.
Trump has engaged in discussions with both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to seek an end to the war. However, Zelenskyy criticized Trump, stating that no peace agreement could be reached without Ukraine’s direct involvement. Speaking on Kudlow, Cruz said Zelenskyy’s criticism of Trump was counterproductive.
“I don’t think President Zelensky is doing himself any favors by running to the European press and attacking President Trump,” Cruz told Larry Kudlow. “You and I both know President Trump very well, and that is a strategy that is almost designed in a lab to produce the opposite of the outcome he’s trying to get. And so I think he probably needs to recalibrate his approach.”
Cruz also attributed the escalation of the Ukraine conflict to former President Joe Biden’s policies.
“The war in Ukraine was caused by Joe Biden’s weakness, his weakness as commander in chief. It was caused by Joe Biden waving the sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline that runs from Russia to Germany,” Cruz said. “As you know, I authored those sanctions, and Putin stopped building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline literally the day President Trump signed my sanctions legislation into law. So Biden caused the war, but Trump’s campaign is saying he will end it.”
Cruz expressed confidence that the war between Ukraine and Russia would conclude soon.
“We will see this war end, and I think it will end in the first half of this year. I think the president is trying to negotiate that resolution. My hope is it is a resolution where the war ends and it is a clear and indisputable loss for Putin and loss for Russia,” Cruz added. “That’s the outcome I want to see. I think that’s the outcome that’s good for America.”
While campaigning, Trump stated that he would promote global peace and criticized the foreign conflicts that escalated under the Biden-Harris administration. Zelenskyy has indicated a willingness to negotiate with the U.S., discussing a potential agreement in which Ukraine would supply rare earths and other minerals in exchange for continued financial support.
