Condoleezza Rice says Trump pivot on Putin could be 'turning point' in Ukraine war

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she believes “this last week was a turning point” in the U.S. and European stance toward Ukraine and Russia.

In rare public remarks, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday that she believes “this last week was a turning point” in the U.S. and European stance toward Ukraine and Russia, and potentially in the war in Ukraine, “because the president is angry with Putin because he has, in effect, made the president look bad.”

Speaking on a panel moderated by NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell at the annual Aspen Security Forum, Rice addressed the ultimatum that President Donald Trump gave Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, to accept a peace deal with Ukraine within 50 days or face new secondary sanctions, which would penalize entities that do business with Russia.

“I think the best news that we could possibly give to the Ukrainian people is that the United States and Europe have finally aligned around the idea that Vladimir Putin will not be stopped with words. He will only be stopped if he believes that he can go no further, he can win no further,” Rice said.

The promise of additional weapons for Ukraine and the ultimatum for Russia haven’t slowed Putin’s aggression, however. Late Wednesday night, Russia launched hundreds more drones and missiles into Ukraine, killing two people, injuring dozens more and knocking out power for 80,000 families.

While acknowledging that secondary sanctions can be hard to enforce, Rice pointed to ways they could still be painful for Russia. “If you’re China,” she said, “with an economy that’s not in great shape,” or “India, which really doesn’t want to be on the wrong side of this, maybe you start thinking about whether that discounted Russian oil is really worth it.”