Former 2024 GOP presidential contender Nikki Haley was ripped online for comments she made on Wednesday in which she suggested that President Donald Trump was doing the bidding of Russian President Vladimir Putin in his attempt to negotiate a peace deal in the war with Ukraine.
Haley, a former two-term South Carolina governor who served a stint as Trump’s UN secretary during his first term, criticized Trump’s characterization of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “dictator without elections” and for stating online, “I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered.”
Trump went on to describe the Ukrainian leader as a “modestly successful comedian” who persuaded the United States to invest billions in a conflict he believes cannot be won. The president also noted that the U.S. is actively involved in “successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia.”
Haley took to X to voice her disapproval of Trump’s statements, insinuating that his stance was aligned too closely with Russian interests. “These are classic Russian talking points. Exactly what Putin wants,” Haley charged, leading to a tremendous backlash.
“War monger Nikki Haley. I can’t tell you apart from Lindsey Graham. I have to wonder what will be exposed about you. It is like you all out yourself,” one X user wrote.
“You are WRONG on every level ! These are NOT ‘Russian talking points’ but to interfere in negotiations, like you are, proves you should NEVER be allowed to run for POTUS ever again,” added another.
Still another user added: “Your opinions carry no weight. You are irrelevant. You have no power and you will never be elected President. Americans can’t stand you. We all know you’re a f**king liar and a fraud. It would be best if we never hear from you again. Bye!”
“I don’t need Russian talking points, I don’t support the current conflict and think we shouldn’t give another dime of military aid since they already ‘misplaced’ 100 billion dollars,” still another added.
One more user said, “Hey Nik, I’d sit this one out…it won’t bring you back into relevance.”
Vice President JD Vance last week said President Trump wanted positive talks between Russia and Ukraine but noted that the U.S. had a “range of options” should President Vladimir Putin fail to show up at the negotiating table with a deal guaranteeing peace for Ukraine.
Speaking with The Wall Street Journal, the vice president said Trump was ready to use a wide spectrum of choices to negotiate a peace agreement. Vance made it clear that Trump was determined to make a peace deal in Ukraine and that there would be incentives on the table for Russia to cooperate.
“If you look at President Trump’s approach to this, the range of options is extremely broad, and there are economic tools of leverage. There are, of course, military tools of leverage. There’s a whole host of things that we could do. But fundamentally, I think the President wants to have a productive negotiation, both with Putin and with Zelenskyy,” Vance told The Journal.
“I think there is a deal that is going to come out of this that’s going to shock a lot of people,” Vance added.
Vance’s remarks came just one day before the vice president was scheduled to meet Zelenskyy in Munich. European officials said they would closely monitor the conversations to see where Trump stands on ending the almost three-year Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Before Vance’s trip, Trump said he had a “lengthy conversation” with Putin.
Writing on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said the two leaders “agreed to work together, very closely.”
