Senator Tuberville blames US for provoking Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., expressed his understanding of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reasoning for invading Ukraine and blamed the United States for “forcing this issue” by “forcing NATO all the way to Eastern Europe.”

Tuberville also reiterated his call for negotiations to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“I feel sorry for Ukraine, but we forced this issue,” Tuberville said Monday on “The Jeff Poor Show,” a talk radio program in Mobile, Alabama.

Tuberville referred to Putin’s recent interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, in which Putin urged the U.S. to negotiate with Russia instead of supplying weapons or aid to Ukraine. Putin defended the invasion by criticizing NATO’s continued expansion eastward despite promises not to do so.

“We kept forcing NATO all the way to Eastern Europe,” Tuberville said. “And Putin just got tired of it. He said, ‘Listen, I do not want missiles on my border from the United States of America.’ It would be like Russia coming to Mexico and putting missiles in Mexico. I understand what he is talking about.”

Tuberville argued that negotiations should have been pursued to end the war in Ukraine and criticized the Biden administration and congressional leaders for lacking a plan.

“This administration does not know how to negotiate. Antony Blinken, our secretary of state — my gosh, was that the best we’ve got? And there’s hundreds of thousands of people killed over this,” Tuberville said.