Biden: anyone who thinks Putin will stop after Ukraine is foolish

Former US President Joe Biden has described his successor Donald Trump’s stance on Russia’s war against Ukraine as a modern form of appeasement, warning that this could encourage other European countries to begin making concessions to Russia.

Since taking office, Trump has adopted a markedly different stance from Biden on the war, suggesting that Ukraine should consider ceding territory to Russia in the name of peace.

"It is modern-day appeasement," Biden said in an interview with the BBC of Trump's approach.

In his view, Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin considers Ukraine "part of Mother Russia. He believes he has historical rights to Ukraine…"

"He can't stand the fact that [...] the Soviet Union has collapsed. And anybody who thinks he is going to stop is just foolish." 

While in office, Biden faced criticism over his handling of the war in Ukraine. Some in Kyiv, as well as certain allies and UK commentators, argued that he provided Ukraine with enough support to resist the invasion, but not enough to secure a decisive victory – possibly out of concern that Putin might resort to nuclear weapons if pushed too far.

"We gave them [Ukraine] everything they needed to provide for their independence," Biden said. "We were prepared to respond, more aggressively, if in fact Putin moved again."

He said he had aimed to avoid the prospect of "World War III through nuclear powers", adding: "We did avoid it."

"What did Putin do when things got really tough for him? He threatened the use of tactical nuclear weapons. This is not a game of roulette," the former US president said.

Earlier, Trump’s Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, proposed the idea of a demilitarised zone jointly controlled by Ukraine and Russia.