President-elect Donald Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon is reportedly warning of an impending global conflict comparable to “Trump's Vietnam.”
The “War Room” host has used his daily radio show and podcast to advocate for President Trump to announce on “Day 1” an early end to the Ukraine war.
In an interview with Politico, Bannon said he actively encouraged President Trump to do so in his inauguration speech, noting that the soon-to-be 47th president will be making significant contributions to the U.S. defense industry, European countries, and even Bannon himself. warned that he could be trapped by some of his friends. , he says they worked together to encourage the United States to continue providing military aid to Ukraine. Among them is retired US general Keith Kellogg, who was selected by President Trump to be his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.
Although he is a friend, Bannon says Kellogg is misguided in calling for the U.S. to continue sending aid to Ukraine until a deal is reached that includes security measures to ensure Russia does not launch another invasion. do.
Mr. Bannon countered that further delay in ending the three-year conflict risks drawing the United States further into a war with no hope of victory, which is against American interests.
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“If we're not careful, we're going to end up with President Trump's Vietnam,” Bannon said. “That's what happened to Richard Nixon. He ended up leading the war, but it ended up being his war, not Lyndon Johnson's.”
Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon attends Turning Point's annual America Fest 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona on December 21, 2024. (Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images)
“I'm going crazy right now to see if there's any announcement on Monday,” he added. “Kellogg says it will take 100 days, but the old foreign policy gurus say it will take six months.”
Bannon reportedly said Trump needed to tell Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that “there's a new sheriff in town and we're going to make a deal and get it done quickly.” said.
He added that Zelensky should focus on how President Trump pressured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept the terms of the ceasefire and hostage release agreement with Hamas before the next president takes office. Ta.
Speaking to Politico, Bannon lamented the perception that NATO has morphed into more of a U.S. protectorate than an alliance.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy talks with Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen in Kiev, January 8, 2025. (Geya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)
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“If you look at NATO, I don't think you can put together two combat-ready European combat divisions,” Bannon said. “Europe doesn't pay for its own defense, so it gets by with early retirement and full health insurance.”
Regarding Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Bannon continued, “Putin is a bad guy. He's a very bad guy. The KGB is bad. But I don't spend my nights worrying about Russia's influence in Europe. I have no intention of changing it.”
Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, who served as national security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, announces a new plan for Iran at the Transatlantic Conference held in Auvers-sur-Oise, north of Paris, on January 11, 2025. He will give a lecture on strategic approaches. (Siavosh Hosseini/SOPA Images/LightRocket, Getty Images)
“First of all, their troops have not even reached Kiev. In three years they have not been able to get there,” Bannon said. “They haven't even occupied Kharkov. Do you know why I'm not awake at night? Because the Europeans are not awake at night. They don't consider Russia a real threat. If they do , they'll throw guns.'' More money and troops will be thrown into the game. ”
Bannon said he supported Trump's proposal for the United States to take control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, both of which are critical to U.S. national security, before turning back to Europe.
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He called former British Conservative Party leader Boris Johnson a “war criminal” and added that too many European leaders thought of themselves as the Winston Churchills of their time. Bannon: “Ukraine war is Europe's central fiasco in recent years'' told Politico. “A million Ukrainians are dead and injured. And as we said three years ago, we will end up, in the best case, exactly where this thing started. And that's with Boris Johnson. [French President Emmanuel] Macron, you fantasists who won't pay for their own defense. They want to be big. They all want to be Winston Churchill, taking other people's money and lives. ”
