Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has asserted that Russia's special military operation in Ukraine was a consequence of perceived U.S. weakness demonstrated during the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. Trump made this claim during his speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 18 evening, where he formally accepted the nomination to run for U.S. president in the upcoming November elections.
"Look at what is happening in Ukraine. It started with a disastrous withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Encouraged by this failure, Russia invaded Ukraine. They saw that these people [the current American administration] are incompetent," Trump stated.
Trump described the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan as "the greatest humiliation" in U.S. history, criticizing the current administration for leaving behind $85bn worth of military equipment and many American soldiers.
In April 2021, President Joe Biden announced his decision to end the operation in Afghanistan, marking the conclusion of the longest overseas military campaign in American history. The U.S. had initiated this war in October 2001 following the September 11 terrorist attacks. At the height of the operation, from 2010 to 2013, Western forces in Afghanistan numbered over 150,000 troops. The withdrawal of U.S. troops began in May 2021, with major U.S. and NATO combat troops having left Afghanistan in 2014.
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