In his first interview since leaving White House, former US president accuses successor over Ukraine-Russia peace negotiations
07 May 2025
Joe Biden has accused Donald Trump of appeasing Russia by pressuring Ukraine to give up its territory, in his first interview since leaving the White House
The former US president said that Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, believes Ukraine is part of Russia and that “anybody that thinks he’s going to stop” if Ukrainian territory is conceded as part of a peace deal “is just foolish”.
Asked by the BBC about the Trump administration’s suggestions that Kyiv should give up territory to end the war, Mr Biden said: “It is modern-day appeasement.
“What the hell’s going on here? What president ever talks like that? That’s not who we are. We’re about freedom, democracy, opportunity. Not about confiscation.”
In a reference to Putin, he added: “I just don’t understand how people think that if we allow a dictator, a thug, to decide he’s going to take significant portions of land that aren’t his, that that’s going to satisfy him.”
In a wide-ranging interview, Mr Biden touched upon several subjects, including his decision to end his re-election campaign, Mr Trump’s row with Volodymyr Zelensky, and US-Europe relations.
Stepping down
Mr Biden, 82, coughed throughout the interview with the BBC’s Today programme, which comes just over 100 days into the second administration of Mr Trump.
He has faced widespread criticism for failing to acknowledge the extent of his age-related decline in office, only stepping aside for Kamala Harris with fewer than four months to go before the 2024 election.
The Democrats have been accused of covering up his transparent lack of sharpness and making the party look dishonest before the vote.
Questioned on the handover, Mr Biden said that it was the “right decision” to step aside, but added it would not have “mattered” had he done so earlier.
“[I don’t see] how that would’ve made much of a difference,” he said. “We left at a time when we had a good candidate.”
Trump’s aggression
Under Mr Trump, the US has shifted its approach to the Ukraine war, with Washington easing pressure on Moscow compared with his predecessor’s administration.
Mr Biden said that he found the US president’s Oval Office row with Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, “beneath America”.
Referencing his successor’s comments about annexing Canada and Greenland, he added: “What president ever talks like that? That’s not who we are.”
Nato alliance
Mr Biden also warned that the Trump administration would cause Europe to “lose confidence” in the US.
“I’m worried that Europe is going to lose confidence in the certainty of America and the leadership of America and the world, to deal with not only Nato but other matters that have a consequence,” Mr Biden said.
His interview coincides with allied nations marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.
“I fear our allies around the world are going to begin to doubt whether we’re going to stay where we’ve always been in the last 80 years,” Mr Biden said.
“The fact is that my father and mother’s generation knew what was at stake. They knew that democracy was literally hanging in the balance.
“The United States has never been able to avoid a war in Europe. And so one of the smartest things we did after World War Two was we formed Nato, because alliances provide security,” he added.
Referring to comments made by Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, about Europe “freeloading” and JD Vance, the US vice-president, talking about his country “bailing out Europe”, Mr Biden said that “they don’t have a point”.
He said: “Imagine there being no Nato. I don’t understand how they fail to understand that there’s strength in alliances… It saves us money overall.”
Mr Biden was also asked about his own record on the Russia-Ukraine war. Mr Trump has sought to “recoup” money given to Ukraine by Mr Biden’s administration for Kyiv’s wartime effort.
“We gave them everything they needed to provide for their independence and we were prepared to respond, more aggressively, if Putin moved again,” Mr Biden said.
“It’s the values that the vast majority of the American people value. Do everything we can to avoid war, but not yield to tyrants. Not yield.”
Trump’s record
Mr Trump has also drawn criticism in recent days after saying that he did not know if he must uphold the US Constitution, the nation’s founding legal document.
He has repeatedly brushed against legal guardrails since returning to the White House, notably over his mass deportations of undocumented migrants and his suggestions that he could run for an unconstitutional third term.
Asked if he thought that Mr Trump was behaving more like a king than a constitutionally limited president, Mr Biden replied: “He’s not behaving like a Republican president.”
However, he acknowledged that he was less worried about the future of US democracy than he previously had been “because I think the Republican Party is waking up to what Trump is about”.
The former US president defended his record in office, drawing a contrast between the economic stability when he left the White House and current turmoil driven by Mr Trump’s erratic imposition of steep tariffs on global imports.
He said: “Our economy was growing. We were moving in a direction where the stock market was way up. We were in a situation where we were expanding our influence around the world in a positive way, increasing trade.”
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Full BBC interview
Watch: Biden’s first interview since leaving the White House
Former US president Joe Biden has told the BBC that the pressure put on Ukraine by President Donald Trump to end its war with Russia amounts to “modern-day appeasement” by his successor.
In his first interview since leaving the White House, Biden discussed the 80th anniversary of VE Day, and told Radio 4’s Today programme about his fears for the future US-Europe relationship.
He also reflected on his decision to step aside late in last year’s presidential contest – leaving Kamala Harris just weeks to challenge Trump – and argued that it would not have mattered if he had done so sooner.
Full 6 minute video here :
https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/cn8085j2jnno
It took him half a year to think of a reply, lol.