U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) is still very concerned that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not going to agree to a fair peace deal with Ukraine.
President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders on Monday, just days after holding a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday.
Peace talks between the two warring countries have seemingly stalled this week as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says plans for a bilateral summit between Putin and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky are “not ready at all.”
Aderholt discussed the issue Thursday on FM Talk 106.5’s “The Jeff Poor Show.”
“I just think Putin is unpredictable,” Aderholt argued. “I mean, you know, I am one of those Republicans that have been supportive of trying to, as as a majority of the Republicans have in Congress have, making sure that Putin does not continue his mission of trying to take over Europe. And we’re seeing what’s happening to Ukraine, and to push back on him, he is one of those people that will not listen to anything but force.”
The congressman said that it’s in America’s national security interests to make sure that Russia doesn’t ultimately win in Ukraine.
“I know a lot of people have a lot of mixed concerns about our involvement there, but if he goes into a NATO country, we have no option but then to get involved and send our men and women over there,” he said. “So it’s better that we push back now and help Ukraine and try to find a resolution of this, then wake up one morning and we find out he’s going into one of the NATO countries, and we’re going to be involved in sending our men and women overseas to fight a war. So I think that it’s vitally important that he get the message, Putin that is, that we are serious, that Trump, he wants to end this war.”
Aderholt said that he appreciates Trump’s attempts in trying to negotiate a peace to end the fighting.
“I do think that if there’s anybody that kind of can find a resolution, this will be Donald Trump — and I think Putin respects him,” he said. “But also, more than that, Putin knows that Trump could do anything, and he knows that he will do anything to make sure that he is going to end this war. I think it’s in Putin’s best interest to try to find a solution, to find a way out, to try to find a way to pull out of the Ukraine, and that’s, I think, ultimately, what’s going to happen.”
“But I think it may take a few weeks, he added. “I think Putin is trying to drag his feet as much as possible, but I think there will come some point that Trump will say that’s it. We’re going to bring all kinds of sanctions on Russia, and we’re going to have all countries that do business with you, we’re going to sanction them, and their economy will absolutely be destroyed.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
