Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday the U.S. and its allies need to “double down” in sanctioning Russian President Vladimir Putin, signaling his invasion of Ukraine is a wake-up call for the West after her attempt to reset relations with Russia under President Obama failed to change Moscow’s behavior.
“The only way that we’re going to end the bloodshed and the terror that we’re seeing unleashed in Ukraine, and protect Europe and democracy, is to do everything we can to impose even greater costs on Putin. There are more banks that can be sanctioned,” Mrs. Clinton told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “So I think that now is the time to double down on the pressure.”
“We are really looking at this with our eyes wide open and seeing very clearly the threat he poses — not just to Ukraine, as we can watch every night on our news — but really to Europe, to democracy and the global stability that we thought we were building in the last 20 years,” she said.
Mrs. Clinton, the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee and secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, tried to improve relations with Russia, though it proved fruitless.
The Obama administration held meetings with a big red reset button and revived nuclear cooperation agreements while supporting a version of Silicon Valley in Russia known as Skolkovo, leading critics to charge that the Kremlin would weaponize new technologies.
Instead of improving things, Mr. Putin sparred with Mrs. Clinton over her support for Ukraine’s turn to the West.
Mr. Putin later annexed Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula, resulting in Russia’s expulsion from the Group of Eight nations, which is now the G7, and his country was accused of meddling in Mrs. Clinton’s presidential contest against former President Donald Trump.
Today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Mr. Putin of war crimes, citing in part brutal footage from the city of Bucha in which people appeared to be shot with their hands tied.
Mr. Putin has said he plans to attend the broader Group of 20 summit in Indonesia later this year despite his brutal invasion.
Mrs. Clinton said other leaders should boycott the G-20 if Mr. Putin shows up.
“I would not allow Russia back into the organizations that it has been a part of. I think that there’s an upcoming G-20 event later in the year. I would not permit Russia to attend, and if they insisted on literally showing up, I would hope there would be a significant if not total boycott,” she told NBC.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
You are 10 years too late Hillary. You and the useless Obama are part of the reason Putin is committing his war crimes today.
Let the cur come. Arrest him, prosecute him in The Hague, take all his assets and those of his extended family, then hand him over to the families of his victims.
“Mrs. Clinton, the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee…”
The American media can’t even get their elections straight. This is how far they’ve fallen. Hillary Rotten Clinton was the nominee in 2016 not 2020.
Why post anything she says. She and Obama allowed Putin to have Crimea. Sent you blankets instead of weapons. She may be going to jail herself when the Durham report (special council looking into the coup as he calls it Clinton created), comes out in the next few months. Her attorney has been indicted, Jake Sullivan, fbi, cia, Obama many others may be as well. 20 so far before the grand jury. Clinton fabricated the Russia hoax as its known now, and was just fined for not reporting her payment of it all. Corrupt Biden will try to pardon them all as he was in on it too. The US is cleaning house right now of corrupt politicians. But we will be back. The people are strong. Hillary is no one to listen to.
Honestly Denise I appreciate your first amendment right but if you have an axe to grind you can go on Twitter. Having US political views is at times relevant to the current issues affecting Ukraine but honestly all you have to offer is how great Trump is, please take it to Twitter.
After her disastrous reset button with Lavrov in 2009 you could say she’s one of the most responsible people for Putin’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014. Of ALL people to be quiet about Putin it would be her.