Stephen Feinberg, who is in the election for President Trump to become Secretary of Defense, declined to say during a confirmation hearing on Tuesday whether Russia had invaded Ukraine.
In separate interactions with Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Feinberg suggested that he would not risk eroding the Trump administration's position in negotiations by commenting publicly on the issue.
“There are very tense negotiations now,” Feinberg told Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) looking for an answer as to whether Russia has invaded Ukraine.
“I don't think anyone who has not been informed of this or is not involved in the discussion should release a statement that could undermine what the president and secretary's intentions are,” Feinberg said. .
“President Trump is very strong in negotiations, he has a plan and I'm sure he'll find a good outcome for America,” Feinberg added.
Later in the hearing, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) pushed Feinberg again on the issue.
She read Fox News Article Headline Three years ago: “Russia will invade Ukraine with Europe's biggest attack since World War II.” Duckworth said the article featured the Secretary of Defense, who was then a Fox news commentator.
“Can you tell me if Russia has invaded Ukraine?” Duckworth asked Feinberg.
“Mr. Feinberg? So Mr. Hegses said that,” she continued referring to the article.
“Yeah, I understand,” replied Feinberg.
“It's easy. Yes or no: Did they invade Ukraine?”
Feinberg again said he didn't want to comment on the issue during negotiations.
“I don't think we should comment publicly in the middle of tense negotiations when we don't know the fact that we're going to undermine what's potential,” Russia invades Ukraine and begins a war that lasted three years. .
“I don't know the details of what is happening in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, what the sense is, what the president is trying to achieve, so I'll talk from the order. And I'm afraid to undermine it,” Feinberg said.
This exchange appears to be due to the US being undergoing a major shift in its foreign policy approach. Frustration is simmering at the negotiation table without Ukraine or Europe about the Trump administration's efforts to negotiate the end of the Russian war in Ukraine.
However, tensions reached a boiling point on Monday when the US voted against a resolution denounced Russia as an invader of war in Ukraine that passed the UN General Assembly.
The move also follows a recent statement from a top Trump diplomat who refused to hold Russia accountable for launching a full-scale invasion of a neighbour three years ago.
In an interview with “Fox News Sunday” over the weekend, host Shannon Bream asked Hegseth if it was fair to say that Russia launched an unprovoked attack on Ukraine three years ago. Hegseth replied, “It's fair to say it's a very complicated situation.”
