U.S. Republican politician Nikki Haley on Nov. 20 criticized Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump's nominee for the director of national intelligence, for her foreign policy stances, including her favorable positions towards Russia and other authoritarian regimes.
Gabbard’s nomination comes as part of Trump’s proposed cabinet, a choice that has sparked concern in Kyiv due to the former Hawaii congresswoman's Ukraine-skeptic views.
Speaking on her podcast Nikki Haley Live, the ex-South South Carolina governor slammed Gabbard’s past statements and actions, particularly her criticism of NATO and her remarks about Russia’s "legitimate security concerns" regarding Ukraine’s potential NATO membership.
"After Russia invaded Ukraine, Tulsi Gabbard literally blamed NATO, our Western alliance that’s responsible for countering Russia," said Haley, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination before conceding to Trump.
"She blamed NATO for the attack on Ukraine, and the Russians and the Chinese echoed her talking points and her interviews on Russian and Chinese television."
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Gabbard posted the video of her Fox News comments about U.S. sanctions against Russia on Twitter (now X) and suggested that "doing anything to press Putin to stop the invasion of Ukraine could lead to a nuclear war."
Gabbard also argued that the eastward expansion of NATO had provoked Moscow and claimed that the U.S. was fueling a proxy war with Russia that could lead to a "forever war."
A former congresswoman from Hawaii and Iraq War veteran, Gabbard has faced longstanding scrutiny for her foreign policy views.
Haley also criticized Gabbard’s broader foreign policy record, highlighting her 2017 meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which she called disgusting." She also questioned Gabbard’s ability to handle national security responsibilities, accusing her of being "overly sympathetic" to authoritarian regimes.
"This is not a place for a Russian, Iranian, Syrian, or Chinese sympathizer," Haley said. She also added that Gabbard has consistently failed to denounce her controversial positions.
Neither Gabbard nor her team has responded to Haley’s comments.
Oleg Sukhov
