Former US officials question 180-degree Ukraine policy shift
· Politics · Russia · United States
Jim Gilmore, former Virginia governor, Republican National Committee chair and ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said the US has made a dramatic reversal in policy toward Ukraine and argued Americans deserve an explanation for the shift. He called Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal and rejected praise of Putin as a humanitarian, after US envoy Steve Witkoff described him that way. The comments underline domestic unease in Washington over a pivot toward Moscow.
Why it matters：Domestic dissent in Washington could complicate any settlement and signal that US commitments to Ukraine may be shifting.
Key points
- Gilmore called Putin a war criminal.
- He said the policy reversal needs an explanation.
- The comments followed Witkoff's praising of Putin.
Sources (original reporting)
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