On Friday, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin’s continued provocations and stated that President Donald Trump would respond with strength and resolve if returned to office. Mast’s comments came during an appearance on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria.”
Mast highlighted President Trump’s firm stance on Ukraine, noting that Trump believes Ukraine can reclaim its territory without conceding land to Russia. According to Mast, Trump has reached a point of zero tolerance for Putin’s repeated threats and military aggressions.
“What is the BS that comes out of Putin?” Mast asked, referring to Russia’s constant framing of NATO or U.S. support for Ukraine as acts of war. He pointed to recent Russian airspace violations in Estonia and Poland, involving jets and drones. Mast said President Trump made clear during his administration that if such violations happened again, “shoot them out of the sky.”
Mast also criticized the continued purchase of Russian oil, gas, and coal by countries such as India and China, calling attention to how this supports Russia’s war economy. He tied this ongoing economic cooperation to the broader geopolitical challenges the U.S. faces with the Kremlin.
Referencing the recent Alaska summit, Mast said Putin responded not with diplomacy but with more military offensives. He emphasized that Trump’s patience with Putin’s actions has run out.
Mast’s remarks reinforce a broader theme in Republican foreign policy: a strong, no-nonsense posture toward adversaries like Russia, in contrast to what many conservatives see as weakness from the Biden administration.
