In his first major interview since leaving the White House, Trump former U.S. President Joe Biden sharply criticized the Trump administration’s stance on Ukraine, calling recent proposals to pressure Kyiv into ceding territory to Russia a form of “modern-day appeasement.” Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme from his home in Delaware, Biden warned that yielding land to Moscow would not bring peace, but rather embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Putin believes Ukraine is part of Russia,” Biden said. “And anybody that thinks he’s going to stop if he gets a piece of it is just foolish.”
His remarks came as Allied nations marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day, commemorating the end of World War II in Europe—a symbolic backdrop that Biden referenced to underscore the dangers of repeating history. Drawing a parallel to the 1930s, he likened the Trump administration’s suggested peace framework to the failed policies of appeasement pursued by British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain in the lead-up to World War II.
The Trump team has proposed using the current territorial boundaries as the foundation for a peace agreement to end the conflict in Ukraine.
“It is modern-day appeasement,” Biden said, referring to calls from members of the Trump team to accept current territorial lines as the basis for ending the conflict in Ukraine. “That’s what it is. And history has shown us exactly where that leads
Biden was particularly critical of U.S. Vice-President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who have both floated the idea of freezing the war along the existing frontlines—effectively acknowledging Russian control over territory it has seized since 2014, including Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine. Hegseth recently described a return to Ukraine’s full sovereignty as “unrealistic.”
“These kinds of statements send the wrong message to our allies and to Putin,” Biden said. “You can’t build peace on the foundation of surrender.”
The former president defended his own administration’s record on Ukraine, despite earlier criticism that his support was more reactive than proactive. Throughout his presidency, Biden gradually expanded U.S. military aid to Kyiv, including authorizing the use of American-supplied weapons to strike targets inside Russian-occupied territory.
“We gave them everything they needed to provide for their independence,” he said. “And we were prepared to respond more aggressively if Putin moved again.”
The wide-ranging interview also touched on Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race just months before the election, following a widely panned debate performance that raised questions about his fitness to serve. Pressed on whether he should have stepped aside earlier, Biden remained firm.
“I don’t think it would have mattered,” he said. “Things moved so quickly that it made it difficult to walk away. And it was a hard decision. But it was the right decision.”
He added that the Democratic Party had rallied around “a good candidate,” though he declined to name a successor directly.
Biden also took aim at some of Trump’s more controversial foreign policy ideas, such as proposals to reclaim the Panama Canal, acquire Greenland, and even make Canada the 51st U.S. state.
“What the hell’s going on here? What president ever talks like that?” Biden said, visibly frustrated. “That’s not who we are. We’re about freedom, democracy, opportunity—not about confiscation.”
The former president warned that Trump’s foreign policy could strain transatlantic relations and damage the international order the U.S. helped build after World War II. “Europe is going to lose confidence in the certainty of America and the leadership of America,” Biden said. “They’re wondering, ‘Well, what do I do now? Can I rely on the United States? Are they going to be there?’”
Biden’s remarks come at a time of heightened uncertainty in global politics, as Europe faces increasing threats from authoritarian regimes and questions persist about the reliability of American leadership under another potential Trump presidency.
“History isn’t just something we read about—it’s something we live with,” Biden said. “And right now, we’re standing at another crossroads.”
