Haley says US forces ‘need to align’ with countries like Russia; The campaign says that she was wrong to speak

COLUMBIA, SC (AP) — Republican presidential hopeful nikki haley suggested in an interview that US forces “need to align” with non-European countries, including Russia, to improve global security, a comment his campaign characterized as a blunder.

When asked by WMUR-TV for a segment on Wednesday about regions of the world he felt the US countries “join us” in opposing Iran.

“You see Saudi Arabia making deals with China, that’s not good for us. We need them to be with us, and then we need to align with others, Russia, Australia, Japan, Israel,” Haley added.

“We need to start focusing on the allies we have besides the Europeans and make sure we have more friends: one, for our needs, so we don’t depend on an enemy for energy or medicines or anything else, and then two, for make sure we build those partnerships to make the world safer.”

On Saturday, Haley’s campaign said the candidate was wrong when she included Russia with the other countries.

“This is completely ridiculous, he obviously misspoke,” spokesman Ken Farnaso told The Associated Press on Saturday. “No one has been tougher on Russia than Nikki Haley.”

Asked to comment on the interview, Haley called the country an “enemy” in a statement and referred to President Vladimir Putin as a “thug.”

“I fought them at the UN and I will continue to fight them,” Haley said. “They want to destroy us and our allies and they cannot be trusted.”

During her tenure as UN ambassador during the Trump administration, Haley criticized Russia, denounced its invasion of Crimea and condemned the country for “holding hands” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as the countries sparred over sanctions. She also referred to Russian corruption as a “virus” that “impedes our ability to achieve complete denuclearization in North Korea.”

A division has emerged within the Republican camp over how the United States should handle Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In response to a query earlier this year from then-foxnews host Tucker CarlsonHaley said US support for Ukraine was critical against an anti-American regime that is “attempting to brutally force itself into a neighboring pro-American country,” saying a Russian victory would only make countries like China and Iran “more aggressive.” ”.

At the time, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has since entered the Republican Party primary race, argued that stopping the aggression was not in the vital strategic interest of the United States, characterizing the situation as a “territorial dispute.”

several companions republicans they were critical of DeSantis’s initial comments. Trump, who had called on European countries to share more of the financial burden of defending Ukraine, said DeSantis’s responses were “following what I’m saying.” A day later, Haley said that she agreed with Trump that “DeSantis is copying him,” writing in an opinion piece that the characterization of the war as a “territorial dispute” represented “weakness.”

After those reviews, DeSantis said his previous comments he referenced ongoing fighting in the eastern Donbas region, as well as Russia’s 2014 seizure of Crimea. Ukraine’s borders are recognized internationally, including by the United Nations.

For months, Stand for America, a super PAC that supports Haley, has aimed to draw a contrast between the former South Carolina governor and DeSantis.

“While DeSantis changes his policy positions based on the mood of his donors and TV hosts, Haley never backs down,” SFA chief strategist Mark Harris said in a statement last month.

On Saturday, a spokesperson for Never Back Down, the super PAC that supports DeSantis, called Haley’s comment to WMUR “almost as bizarre as his alignment with Wake Disney,” a reference to the former South Carolina governor’s criticism of DeSantis’ ongoing feud with entertainment. giant, whose works he has said his home state will “happily accept” if he decides to leave Florida.

The United States has been increasing its military aid to Ukraine as the invasion of Russia enters its 16th month. In late May, President Joe Biden approved a new aid package That adds up to $300 million and includes additional munitions for drones and a variety of other weapons.

To date, the US has committed more than $37.6 billion worth of weapons and other equipment to Ukraine since Russia attacked on February 24, 2022. This latest package will be made under presidential withdrawal authority, allowing the Pentagon to take weapons from its own stocks. and quickly ship them to Ukraine, authorities said.