From PBS NewsHour.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., questioned Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, about whether Russia has defeated Ukraine Thursday in a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
After a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Ukraine was “militarily defeated.”
Blumenthal asked Caine whether he believed that was true.
Caine did not answer, instead highlighting “the importance of me maintaining trust with a variety of people” and saying “a president will make a wide range of comments and considerations as the commander-in-chief,” before Blumenthal cut him off.
“You don’t have to go too much farther. I understand the point that you’re making,” Blumenthal said. He said Trump’s statement is a “false narrative” pushed by Putin.
“I’m not putting words in your mouth, and you don’t have to respond, I understand your reasons for not responding, but the American people should know that the President of the United States is undermining our security, because Ukraine is holding the line against Vladimir Putin,” he added.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Caine were invited to testify on President Donald Trump’s 2027 budget request to increase defense spending to $1.5 trillion – the largest proposed amount in decades.
On Wednesday, the defense leaders appeared before House lawmakers, who questioned the defense leaders for the first time since the start of the war on Iran. Hegseth sparred with Democrats on the costs of the war and its ripple effects on Americans and the economy.
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