Stephen A. Smith Blames Obama, Biden for Russia-Ukraine War

New York, NY – ESPN host Stephen A. Smith defended former President Donald Trump during a recent episode of his podcast, “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” asserting that Trump should not be blamed for the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Instead, Smith attributed responsibility to former Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton for their previous actions in the region.

During the show, which aired Monday, Smith claimed that the major catalysts for the current conflict happened during the presidencies of Obama and Clinton. He emphasized, “We ain’t gonna act like he [Trump] caused this now. It’s Democrats in office.” Smith specifically noted that Biden was the sitting president when the war against Ukraine escalated.

Smith pointed out that Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 occurred under the Obama administration. He explained how this conflict contributed to the current war, stating, “It was during the Obama administration that Russia invaded Crimea after the Revolution of Dignity, which ousted a Moscow-friendly president, Viktor Yanukovych.” The move by Russia was largely seen as a quick takeover that left Ukraine unable to reclaim the territory.

While he acknowledged that the Obama administration provided non-lethal aid to Ukraine and imposed sanctions on Russia, Smith argued that the response was insufficient. He criticized the Clinton administration for its role in disarming Ukraine in 1994, leading to what he described as a dangerous dependency on the U.S. for security assurances.

“It was Clinton in office when you made a deal that disarmed Ukraine, and therefore weakened them, leaving them dependent on the United States,” Smith argued. “Now, here they are having to beg for support that they’re owed because of what we promised them as a nation.”

Smith further stated that while he may not favor U.S. taxpayers funding assistance to Ukraine, he believes promises made by the nation should be kept. “You owe it to the Ukraine, Ukrainians, you absolutely do. I’m not saying I like spending billions of our taxpayer dollars to them, but promises made are supposed to be promises kept!” he exclaimed.

In concluding his remarks, Smith emphasized the importance of recognizing Ukraine’s sovereignty, asserting that they should not be seen as the “villains” in this conflict.