Jon Stewart has branded Donald Trump’s reaction to Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine “f****** bonkers”.
Stewart directed the same criticism toward Fox News, tweeting on Wednesday, 23 February: “The Trump/Fox axis isn't soft-pedaling Putin’s actions... they agree with them. They are political allies. They believe in the same things. To them, the American Left and most of Europe are the Evil Empire.”
In a follow-up tweet, Stewart added: “It is f****** bonkers.”
Trump on Tuesday reacted to Putin’s recognition of eastern separatist regions in Ukraine. Putin said he planned to send Russian troops there as what he called “peacekeepers”. The US and key European allies have accused Moscow of crossing a red line Tuesday in rolling over Ukraine’s border into separatist regions, with some calling it an invasion.
Speaking to conservative talk show hosts Clay Travis and Buck Sexton, Trump said he’d learned of the developments on television and went on to effusively praise Putin.
“I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, ‘This is genius,’” Trump said. “Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine. Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful. So, Putin is now saying, ‘It’s independent,’ a large section of Ukraine. I said, ‘How smart is that?’”
Trump added: “Here’s a guy who’s very savvy… I know him very well. Very, very well.”
A senior US defence official in Washington told The Associated Press the Russian forces arrayed along Ukraine’s borders are “as ready as they can be” for an invasion, with about 80% of them in what the US considers “forward positions, ready to go” within five to 50 kilometers (3 to 30 miles) of the border.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations, told countries around the world on Wednesday that “now is the time to get off the sidelines”.
“There is no middle ground here. Calling for both sides to de-escalate only gives Russia a pass. Russia is the aggressor here,” Thomas-Greenfield said at a UN General Assembly meeting. She called on Russia “to come back to the negotiating table and to work toward peace.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report
