Kellyanne Conway defends Trump's proposal to roll back Russian sanctions, saying it's in line with 'America first' stance
The day before President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin's scheduled phone call Saturday, top Trump aide Kellyanne Conway said the administration is still considering walking back sanctions imposed on Russia. The U.S. has placed sanctions on Russia for its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its involvement in the conflict in Ukraine, as well as for its meddling ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. "All of that is under consideration," Conway said Friday when asked during an interview on Fox & Friends if Trump is considering easing sanctions "right away."
Trump has previously suggested rolling back the sanctions imposed over Crimea if Russia agrees to a nuclear arms reduction. Conway in her interview claimed it is in the United States' interest to improve relations with foreign leaders, and to work with Putin if he wants to join the fight against "radical Islamic terrorists."
"But don't they have to change their behavior in order to get those sanctions lifted?" one of the hosts asked, pointing to Russia's actions in Syria. Conway responded by reiterating Trump's focus on "America first." "Yes, he will call out other nations when he believes it's not in the American interest and in the interest of humanity, but that's what these conversations are for, these private conversations with world leaders," Conway said.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
As for whether it was Trump or Putin who initiated their chat, Conway wouldn't say. "I won't divulge that," Conway said, when the question arose on a separate interview with CBS News on Friday. "But it also doesn't matter in that we have to have leaders talking to each other."
Catch a snippet of Conway's Fox & Friends interview below. Becca Stanek
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
December’s books feature otherworldly tales, a literary icon’s life story and an adult royal rompThe Week Recommends This month's new releases include ‘The Heir Apparent’ by Rebecca Armitage and ‘Tailored Realities’ by Brandon Sanderson
-
Trump boosts gas cars in fuel economy rollbackspeed read Watering down fuel efficiency standards is another blow to former President Biden’s effort to boost electric vehicles
-
Hegseth’s Signal chat put troops in peril, probe findsSpeed Read The defense secretary risked the lives of military personnel and violated Pentagon rules, says new report
-
Trump boosts gas cars in fuel economy rollbackspeed read Watering down fuel efficiency standards is another blow to former President Biden’s effort to boost electric vehicles
-
Hegseth’s Signal chat put troops in peril, probe findsSpeed Read The defense secretary risked the lives of military personnel and violated Pentagon rules, says new report
-
Trump pardons Texas Democratic congressmanspeed read Rep. Henry Cuellar was charged with accepting foreign bribes tied to Azerbaijan and Mexico
-
GOP wins tight House race in red Tennessee districtSpeed Read Republicans maintained their advantage in the House
-
Trump targets ‘garbage’ Somalis ahead of ICE raidsSpeed Read The Department of Homeland Security will launch an immigration operation targeting Somali immigrants in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area
-
Hegseth blames ‘fog of war’ for potential war crimespeed read ‘I did not personally see survivors,’ Hegseth said at a Cabinet meeting
-
Canada joins EU’s $170B SAFE defense fundspeed read This makes it the first non-European Union country in the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative
-
Appeals court disqualifies US Attorney Alina HabbaSpeed Read The former personal attorney to President Donald Trump has been unlawfully serving as US attorney for New Jersey, the ruling says