Ramaswamy defends proposal for Putin

GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said he is proposing giving some concessions to Russia in Ukraine to end the war and expressed confidence that President Vladimir Putin would accept his plan.

During the CNN town hall in Iowa, the tech entrepreneur said he is proposing a “reasonable end” to the war in Ukraine, emphasizing that it is his position that the war is not advancing American interests.

He said his deal would “allow Ukraine to come out with sovereignty intact,” but there would be “some territorial concessions of the Russian-speaking regions in eastern Ukraine.”

Ramaswamy also said his proposal would also include a commitment not to admit Ukraine to NATO — and would have the stipulation that Russia "exits its military alliance" with China.

Asked what makes him think Russian President Vladimir Putin would be responsive to this plan, Ramaswamy said, “So do I trust Vladimir Putin? Of course not. Is he a craven dictator? Absolutely, he is. But we will trust him to follow his self interest just as he will trust us to follow ours."

Pressed that if Putin still does not agree to the territorial concessions in the east as Ramaswamy laid out and decided to take the entire country using force, the GOP candidate asserted that he is confident in his ability to negotiate.

“I think that's a fictitious scenario for a lot of reasons. Part of the reason Putin has been able to seize eastern Ukraine is they have not had the same level of resistance as the rest of Ukraine,” Ramaswamy said, doubling down that people who live in some eastern parts of the country “don’t even view themselves really as part of Ukraine.”