On Friday, Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville wrote on X that he believed Putin was open to a peace agreement, and that it was the US preventing the war from ending. The claim drew widespread criticism from both Republicans and Democrats.
Tuberville’s tweet
“Last night’s [Tucker Carlson] interview with Putin shows that Russia is open to a peace agreement,” Tuberville claimed. “It is DC warmongers who want to prolong the war.”
The context
On Thursday, Carlson uploaded an interview between himself and Putin, which was recorded earlier in the week. The infamous ex-Fox host was widely mocked for allowing Putin to dominate the conversation completely.
Failing to challenge
“Putin was fully in charge of this encounter,” the BBC reported. “For the most part, Carlson seemed to lap up what Russia’s president was telling him.”
Spurious claims
Putin repeated one of his favorite claims during the interview: that it is the West, and the US in particular, that is responsible for a peace agreement not having been reached yet. That’s the claim that Tuberville referenced in his X post.
Voting no
That claim, Tuberville wrote, “is why I’m voting to stop 60 BILLION MORE of our tax dollars [being spent on] this conflict.” Tuberville was one of the 32 Senators who voted against advancing a foreign aid package in the Senate on Thursday.
Combined package
The $95 billion foreign funding package would give $61 billion to Ukraine, $14 billion to Israel, and $4.8 billion to allies in the Indo-Pacific region, including Taiwan. Over $9 billion would be dedicated to humanitarian aid in conflict zones — though the wording specifically bans the UNRWA from receiving any funding.
Crossing party lines
In the end, 17 Republicans helped Democrats pass the bill. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has been particularly outspoken about the importance of continuing to support Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia.
Slammed
“They don’t call Tommy Tuberville America’s dumbest Senator for nothing,” the X account Republicans Against Trump wrote. “If Vladimir Putin says it, it must be true, according to Tommy Tuberville,” journalist Mark Jacob commented.
Upside down
“Tuberville believes that Putin wants peace, and the United States wants war,” Ron Filipkowski of MeidasTouch wrote on X. “This is the new MAGA Republican Party. Donald Trump’s party. Putin First!”
The reality on the ground
The day after Tuberville’s post, Ukrainian President Zelensky made a post of his own. “Reality always speaks louder than any words,” he wrote alongside a photo of a firestruck home.
Death abounds
“An entire family was killed in a fire last night as a result of a Russian strike on Kharkiv using ‘Shahed’ drones,” Zelensky wrote. “Parents and their three children were killed. Russia must be held accountable for every life it has harmed and ruined. This is the only way to make security a reality again.”
Totally unacceptable
Carlson was slammed for the Putin interview by a Ukrainian human rights lawyer whose organization, Civil Liberties, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. “Why did Carlson throw Putin softballs, allowing him the opportunity to repeat genocidal calls that Ukrainians do not exist and that Ukrainians are one people with Russians?” Oleksandra Matviichuk asked.
Suspicious timing
“The timing of his interview broadcast is also no coincidence,” Matviichuk argued, “as it comes right before Democrats are due to make a new attempt to restore US military funding to Ukraine after a first vote on a multibillion-dollar aid package failed due to opposition from the Republican Party.”
Possible end in sight
Putin “emphasizes, ‘This is not your war. It is so far from you. You have other matters besides Ukraine,’” Matviichuk said. “Putin really wants to persuade the West to end the war sooner, which may indirectly indicate that his resources are running out.”
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