(NewsNation) — Following the brief revolt involving Wagner fighters and more than a year into the war in Ukraine, there are now fresh jabs and finger pointing when it comes to how the U.S. is handling the situation and its rhetoric towards Russian President Vladimir Putin.
President Joe Biden isn’t the only one being criticized for his approach. Some 2024 GOP presidential candidates are also facing the heat.
Former Texas Congressman Will Hurd said he believes the U.S. needs stronger leadership on the world stage and that his fellow competitors, former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, are “wrong” on Ukraine policy.
“It’s unfortunate the two leading Republican nominees for president, Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, policy on Ukraine is wrong,” Hurd said. “I wish they would stop fighting with American companies like Disney and be more interested in supporting our allies against attacks against democracy.”
“We’ve seen over the last couple of days that we need people that have a real experience when it comes to national security,” Hurd continued. “And look, Donald Trump has some good ideas, but he lacks an understanding of the effects of those ideas.”
Trump has maintained that if he were in office, Russia never would have invaded Ukraine. He made the comment Saturday night at an event in Washington, D.C.
“You would’ve never had Russia go into Ukraine,” Trump said.
The former president continued: “Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine totally settled. I’ll have it done in 24 hours.”
Trump responded to the power struggle between the Wagner Group and Putin on Saturday, posting a cryptic warning on Truth Social: “A big mess in Russia, but be careful what you wish for. Next in may be far worse!”
Another 2024 candidate, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, commented on the mishandlings Sunday.
“America’s support along with our allies of Ukraine, has done a great deal to cause what we’re seeing right now in Russia,” Christie said. “Putin’s misadventure and all of the missteps that have happened by the Biden administration, the Trump administration and the Obama administration on this issue, have led to this moment.”
While there appears to be a lot of finger pointing among GOP candidates, no real answers or potential policies from the hopefuls have been offered on the challenging situation.