Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a 2024 Republican presidential contender, told Newsmax on Thursday that Taiwan's future depends on whether Ukraine beats back Russia.
Joining "Eric Bolling The Balance," the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Washington needs to "learn the lesson from Russia and Ukraine" by supporting Taiwan before a potential Chinese invasion.
President Joe Biden "was slow to the take with Ukraine. [Former President Barack] Obama started it by going into Crimea, and it showed that we were weak," Haley stated. "Make sure that Taiwan is strong now.
"Make sure that China knows that we and all of our allies have the back of Taiwan and that we're not going to let them move forward," she continued. "But the way you do that is you allow Ukraine to win."
Haley also highlighted Kyiv's strong resistance to Russia, which she believes is paying off so much that "right now, Ukraine is winning."
"You know Russia's falling when, basically, they're getting their drones from Iran and missiles from North Korea. That shows a bad sign. They've raised their draft age to 65. They've lost thousands of soldiers," Haley explained.
Russian President Vladimir Putin "knows that he's in trouble," she said, adding that if Kyiv wins, "that sends the biggest message to China. It sends the biggest message to ... all of our enemies that want to destroy us."
The comments from Haley, who once served in the Trump administration, arrive one month after the she declared intent to challenge her former boss in seeking the Republican nomination for president.
"You should know this about me. I don't put up with bullies. And when you kick back, it hurts them more if you're wearing heels," Haley said in her announcement speech.
Only former President Donald Trump, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton officially are accompanying Haley in the 2024 Republican presidential primary race thus far.
However, former Vice President Mike Pence, Trump-era Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson reportedly are weighing their options.
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