"Nobody has been tougher on Russia," U.S. President Donald Trump told Fox News on March 9, in repsonse to criticisms that his administration has been friendly to the Kremlin.
Trump's claim comes amid a U.S. freeze on intelligence sharing and military aid to Kyiv, as the full-scale war enters its fourth year and Russian forces intensify their assaults in eastern Ukraine.
"I think I've been very tough to Russia," Trump told the right-wing media outlet Fox News in an interview.
"Tougher than anybody's ever been to Russia, if you think about it."
Instead of responding to the current freeze on aid to Kyiv or Washington's apparent support of Russian demands, Trump focused on his actions during his first term as president. In particular, he repeated his claim that he "stopped" Russia's construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
During his first term, Trump signed off on a Congressional measure imposing sanctions against any businesses that contributed to the completion of the undersea pipeline, built to funnel Russian gas into Europe.
"I'm the one that put sanctions on Russia," Trump said. "I'm the one that gave the javelins against Russia. I've been very tough."
Trump had little to say about the present state of affairs between the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine, though earlier in the interview he accused President Volodymyr Zelensky of not being grateful to the U.S.
When asked if he was comfortable with risking Ukraine's very survival by withdrawing U.S. support, Trump did not give a firm answer.
"It may not survive anyway," he said.
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