Fox News host Brian Kilmeade recently had a tense exchange with GOP presidential contender and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy over the Russia-Ukraine war.
Vivek Ramaswamy clashes with Brian Kilmeade over ‘naive’ Ukraine stance https://t.co/pH495Jgaw3 pic.twitter.com/EerEJjXvgN
— New York Post (@nypost) December 7, 2023
During the fourth Republican presidential primary debate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Ramaswamy went after former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) for working as a Boeing contractor upon leaving office and earning lucrative salaries through her work with corporations.
Fox News co-host Lawrence Jones asked Kilmeade whether Ramaswamy’s strategy to criticize Haley on the debate stage was effective, considering Haley’s recent climb in polls.
“I’d just like to know with his policy, it’s just ridiculous on Russia-Ukraine, he says, ‘tell Russia basically they can have Ukraine if they promise not to have an alliance with China,’ I mean —” Kilmeade said while filming his show Fox and Friends in New York City.
Ramaswamy later joined Kilmeade’s show, where he was asked to clarify his position on Ukraine.
“Vivek, are you comfortable with Russia taking as much of Ukraine as they want? Are you comfortable pulling all of our aid out and do you really believe that Vladimir Putin will agree not to have an alliance with China?” Kilmeade asked.
Ramaswamy responded that the U.S. must play “hardball” and threaten “serious consequences” against the Kremlin if it chooses to form a union with China, leading Kilmeade to ask, “Like what!”
Ramaswamy argued that the Russia-Ukraine war is not in the U.S.’s interest, prompting Kilmeade to disagree, saying, “Yes it does, if you give up Eastern Europe — it is in our interest.”
The presidential hopeful continued by saying that the Biden administration’s policies are further driving Russia into China’s arms, adding that Americans should be concerned with how Ukraine has spent U.S. aid.
Kilmeade later claimed that Ukrainians are the “best fighters in the world.”
The GOP presidential contender later criticized Ukraine for the assassinations it has carried out, leading Kilmeade to call him “naive.”
“So naive, you give up Ukraine then in two years you’d be criticizing Joe Biden for giving up Ukraine,” the Fox News host claimed.
“You wanna call me naive? I actually understand what the heck I’m talking about here,” Ramaswamy replied.
“Really?” Kilmeade questioned.
The pair had a tense exchange over the U.S.’s involvement in Ukraine, with Ramaswamy claiming that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had threatened to send troops to the war-torn country if Congress didn’t pass another aid package.
Kilmeade told Ramaswamy to “pay attention,” saying that Austin’s comments were about Russia’s potential invasion of a nation member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
