‘LUDICROUS’

Nikki Haley Denounces Trump’s Call With Putin

The former UN ambassador called the move a “backhanded slap” to all U.S. allies.

Nikki Haley condemned President Donald Trump’s phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, calling it a “backhanded slap to all of our allies.”

Trump’s former United Nations ambassador did not see eye to eye with the president’s decision to try and negotiate with Russia over the phone following Ukraine’s Sunday drone strike on Russia.

“Russia has been receiving drones and ballistic missiles from Iran to use in its kidnapping of Ukraine. Iran and Russia are partners,” she wrote on X.

“It is ludicrous to think we would allow Putin to be chief negotiator between the U.S. and Iran on the Iran deal in exchange for the U.S. helping Russia with Ukraine,” she said, adding that this “is a backhanded slap to all of our allies.”

She added in a separate post that the “only way to deal with Iran” was to “apply maximum pressure.”

“If Iran fears it will be attacked before it can create a weapon, it has an incentive to give up its nuclear program for good. That makes us all safer,” she wrote.

The president revealed on Truth Social what went down during his phone call with Putin, which he said lasted around an hour and 15 minutes.

“It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace,” Trump wrote. “President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields.”

Trump then detailed his exchange with Putin surrounding Iran, “and the fact that time is running out on Iran’s decision pertaining to nuclear weapons, which must be made quickly!”

But talk around Iran seemed to remain mostly vague, with the president alluding to Putin being on the same page as him, but also not completely onboard with his plans.

“I stated to President Putin that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and, on this, I believe that we were in agreement,” Trump said. “President Putin suggested that he will participate in the discussions with Iran and that he could, perhaps, be helpful in getting this brought to a rapid conclusion.”

Trump went on to blame Iran for “slow-walking their decision on this very important matter.” He emphasized that the country needs to make a decision “in a very short period of time!”

Haley has always been a fierce critic of Iran, managing to pass UN Security Council Resolution 2370 on Preventing Terrorists from Acquiring Weapons in 2017 in a unanimous vote.

“As long as we allow the Iranian regime to violate this Council’s prohibitions with impunity, it will be a source of weapons to terrorist groups that will only grow in volume and destructive capability,” she said in her explanation of the resolution.

NO BACKING DOWN

Putin Snubs Trump Peace Plea and Will Hit Back at Ukraine

Sarah Ewall-Wice

“The United States will continue to raise this issue of Iranian non-compliance with international obligations at every opportunity,” she added, warning at the time of Iran “preparing for war in Lebanon.”

Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal that following year, though he now has plans to create a new deal which Iran has already dubbed as “nonsense.”

Haley also commented on this new U.S.-Iran nuclear deal in April, saying that the U.S. “can’t trust” Iran.

“Iran has violated every agreement they have ever been a part of. We can’t trust them to have any amount of nuclear production. Iran should not have a nuclear program, period,” she wrote on X.

The relationship between Trump and Haley had been rocky ever since Haley chose to oppose to him in the 2024 Republican primary.

Trump announced in November that he would “not be inviting former Ambassador Nikki Haley” to join his administration.

Haley responded to the president on her SiriusXM Show, claiming that Trump already knew that she had “no interest” in a position in his cabinet.

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Jasmine VenetBreaking News Intern

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.