Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley argued on Wednesday that President Biden’s first week in office proved “good” for Russia.
“I can tell you [ Russian President Vladimir] Putin must be ecstatic now, “Haley told America’s Newsroom on Wednesday referring to Biden’s energy actions, which included suspending the Keystone XL pipeline project.
The Biden administration has also temporarily suspended oil and gas licenses on federal land and waters in a series of executive orders aimed at cracking down on the U.S. fossil fuel industry and fighting climate change, Reuters reported.
“One of the things that bothered him [Putin] the maximum was how we became independent of energy, “explained Haley.
Haley also pointed out that on Thursday Biden proposed extending the last nuclear weapons control treaty between the two countries for five years, saying it is “something that has given Russia many advantages”. The new START treaty was set to expire on February 5.
BIDEN PROPOSES TREATY FOR EXTENDING NUCLEAR ARMS WITH RUSSIA FOR 5 YEARS
The treaty, signed in 2010 by President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, limits each country to no more than 1,550 nuclear warheads and 700 missiles and bombers, and provides for local inspections to verify compliance.
Russia has long proposed to extend the pact without any conditions or changes, but President Trump’s government waited until last year to start discussions and made the extension dependent on a series of demands. Discussions have stalled and months of negotiation have failed to narrow the differences.
On Friday, the Kremlin accepted Biden’s proposal. Putin’s spokesman said Russia is defending the extension of the pact and waiting to see the details.
“It’s a good first week for Russia now,” said Hayley.
Haley also argued on Wednesday that President Biden is “more interested in reversing everything President Trump has done” rather than looking ahead.
The former South Carolina governor then outlined a series of questions for Biden, asking why he did not “sit down and talk to those governors” before suspending the Keystone XL pipeline project and banning hydraulic fracturing.
“Why are you not using an advantage if Iran is producing nuclear weapons? Why, before returning to the Iran deal, why are you not using these sanctions as a lever?” she continued to ask.
“With China, why are you not calling them to the human rights issues they have, instead of going back to the Human Rights Council?”
Haley was referring to President Biden’s potential move to return to the controversial UN Human Rights Council.
Haley was part of the Trump administration in 2018, when he withdrew the U.S. from the Human Rights Council. In announcing this decision, she called the council “a protector of human rights violators and a pit of political prejudice”.
Critics, of whom Haley was perhaps the most prominent, point to the composition of the council, which currently includes countries like Cuba, China and Russia – all elected in 2020.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION
“It’s a matter of strategy,” said Haley on Wednesday. “It’s about being smart and what Biden is showing is that he is more interested in reversing everything President Trump has done than being strategic about how to keep America strong in the future.”
Caitlin McFall, Adam Shaw and Fox News’ The Associated Press contributed to this report.