On Sunday, Republican presidential candidate Will Hurd said the U.S. should have been strategizing with allies and Ukraine to leverage the internal turmoil in Russia.
What Happened: During an appearance on ABC's "This Week," Hurd criticized the Biden administration’s response to the discord between the Kremlin and the Wagner Group, a private Russian military contractor organization. He suggested that this should have been an opportunity for the U.S. and its allies to strengthen their positions, The Hill reports.
“When there’s uncertainty and chaos, that’s actually an opportunity for us to double down on our friends… we should have been planning with our allies, we should have been planning with the Ukrainians on how to take advantage of this opportunity," Hurd told co-anchor Jonathan Karl.
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Why It Matters: Hurd, a former U.S. congressman from Texas, expressed frustration with the “old fashion concept of escalation,” noting how the Biden administration has previously refrained from aiding allies due to fears of escalating the ongoing situation. He also criticized the policy on Ukraine of the two leading Republican nominees for President, Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis. Hurd’s comments come after his entry into the crowded GOP primary field and his refusal to support Trump if he becomes the 2024 nominee.
The situation in Russia escalated after Wagner Group's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin urged an armed rebellion to oust Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, challenging Russian President Vladimir Putin's justification for the country's ongoing war with neighboring Ukraine. Putin vowed to quell the “armed mutiny,” but Prigozhin eventually ordered his army to halt their advance after reaching an agreement with Belarus.
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