Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a partial 30-day ceasefire in its war with Ukraine, and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Newsmax on Tuesday he is confident that President Donald Trump will ultimately resolve the three-year-old conflict.
"I have confidence that President Trump is going to resolve this war," Cruz told "Rob Schmitt Tonight." "The war in Ukraine needs to come to an end. The president was exactly right in what he said on Truth Social. This war in Ukraine never would have happened if Donald Trump had been in the White House. This war was caused because of [former President] Joe Biden's weakness, his weakness as commander-in-chief that encouraged our enemies.
"It is time for this war to be over, and I think it's important that it end in a way that is a clear and unequivocal loss for Russia. Putin is not our friend. And listen, Russia has lost thousands and thousands of soldiers in this war. They've expended billions of dollars. Their objective was to conquer Ukraine, and they failed in that objective."
Cruz said he is encouraged that the Trump administration's talks to end the war involve issues that could benefit the U.S., such as a deal with Ukraine that would give the U.S. access to Ukraine's vast natural resources.
"And I think we don't want Russia selling its oil and gas to Europe," Cruz said. "We want Europe buying American oil and gas."
Although the U.S.-brokered ceasefire that Putin agreed to will not immediately stop all the fighting, Cruz said Trump's foreign policy of peace through strength will ultimately lead to Russia realizing it has no other alternative but to end the conflict. He quipped that there is no Neville Chamberlain School of Foreign Affairs, referring to the British Prime Minister notorious for his appeasement of Nazi Germany in the 1930s.
"I believe in peace through strength," Cruz said. "I think the best way to deter a bully is to be strong enough that they don't want to mess with you. There is a reason that no new wars were started the first term that Trump was president. There's a reason Putin didn't invade any countries when Trump was president. And it's because Putin is afraid of Donald Trump.
"Joe Biden, nobody was afraid of. Not even his own German shepherd was afraid of Joe Biden. That was bad for America. It was bad for the world. Look, there is a reason that nobody goes and studies at the Neville Chamberlain School of Foreign Affairs. Weakness and appeasement do not work. And so, I'm glad we again have a strong president. That's what America needs."
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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