Haley says US forces “need to ally with countries like Russia”; The campaign says she spelled it wrong

COLUMBIA, SC (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley In an interview, she hinted that US forces would need to “allie with countries outside Europe, including Russia” to improve global security – a remark she called a faux pas during her campaign.

When asked by WMUR-TV on Wednesday for a feature on regions of the world she thinks the US could pay more attention to, Haley, who has served as the Trump administration’s ambassador to the United Nations, said first “the Arab world” and said the US needs Arab countries to “sort of join forces with us” when it comes to opposing Iran.

“Look how Saudi Arabia is doing business with China, it’s not good for us. We need them to be with us and then we need to ally with others, Russia, Australia, Japan, Israel,” Haley added.

“We need to start focusing on the allies we have alongside the Europeans and make sure we have more friends – one for our needs so we don’t depend on an enemy for energy, medicines or anything other things, and then.” Second, to make sure we build these alliances to make the world a safer place.”

On Saturday, Haley’s campaign team said the candidate had misspelled adding Russia to the other countries.

“This is completely ridiculous, she obviously misspoke,” spokesman Ken Farnaso told The Associated Press on Saturday. “No one was tougher on Russia than Nikki Haley.”

When asked to comment on the interview, Haley called the country an “enemy” in a statement to AP and called President Vladimir Putin a “thug.”

“I fought them at the United Nations and will continue to fight them,” Haley said. “They want to destroy us and our allies and cannot be trusted.”

During her tenure as ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, Haley has been critical of Russia, condemning its invasion of Crimea and condemning the country for “holding hands” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un while the countries over sanctions argued. She also referred to Russian corruption as a “virus” that “hampers our ability to achieve full denuclearization of North Korea.”

A disagreement has arisen in the Republican camp over how the US should deal with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In response to a query from then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson earlier this year, Haley said US support for Ukraine was vital against an anti-American regime that is “trying to expand brutally by force into a neighboring pro-American country.” “. A Russian victory would only make countries like China and Iran “more aggressive”.

At that time was the governor of Florida Ron DeSantis, who has since entered the Republican Party primary, argued that ending the aggression was not a major US strategic interest and characterized the situation as a “territorial dispute”.

A number of fellow Republicans criticized DeSantis’ initial statements. Trump, who has urged European countries to share more in the financial burden of Ukraine’s defense, said DeSantis’ responses “followed what I say.” A day later, Haley said she agreed with Trump that “DeSantis is copying him,” and wrote in an editorial that characterizing the war as a “territorial dispute” represented “weakness.”

Following these reviews DeSantis shared his earlier comments referred to the ongoing fighting in the eastern Donbass region as well as the Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014. Ukraine’s borders are internationally recognized, including by the United Nations.

For months, Stand for America, a super PAC supporting Haley, has been trying to create a contrast between the former South Carolina governor and DeSantis.

“While DeSantis changes its policy positions according to the mood of its donors and television hosts, Haley never backs down,” SFA chief strategist Mark Harris said in a press release last month.

On Saturday, a spokesman for Never Back Down, the super PAC supporting DeSantis, called Haley’s remark to WMUR “almost as bizarre as her association with woke Disney,” a nod to the former South Carolina governor’s criticism of DeSantis ‘ ongoing feud with the entertainment giant, whose jobs she said her home state would “happily accept” should he decide to leave Florida.

The US has increased military aid to Ukraine as the Russian invasion enters its 16th month. Late May President Joe Biden approved a new aid package That amounts to up to $300 million and includes additional ammunition for drones and a range of other weapons.

To date, the US has provided more than $37.6 billion in arms and other equipment to Ukraine since the Russian attack on February 24, 2022. This latest package comes under presidential authority, which allows the Pentagon to take weapons from its own stockpiles and quickly ship them to Ukraine, officials said.