The Biden administration’s Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Victoria Nuland, announced her resignation on Tuesday, according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The news came out on March 5, along with the announcement that John Bass, the Under Secretary for Management, will be the interim Under Secretary until Nuland’s replacement is hired.
In his written statement sharing the change in personnel, Blinken pointed out Nuland’s lengthy service in the department. She worked for more than 30 years for the federal government, under the leadership of six different presidents and 10 Secretaries of State. He also emphasized her various roles in political, economic, communications, and ambassador positions.
Blinken’s remarks then touched on Nuland’s leadership in “complex crises” occurring in Sahel and Haiti as well as the Middle East, including her efforts dedicated to “strengthening America’s alliances” throughout the Indo-Pacific and Europe. He also noted the controversial actions Nuland took related to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
Although Blinken described her work in this area as “indispensable” for “confronting Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” many Americans disagree with his assessment and say that the former Under Secretary holds some responsibility for the conflict.
In Sept. 2022, she received backlash for the suspected role of the Biden administration in sabotaging the Nord Stream pipelines, which are between Russia and Germany below the Baltic Sea. The sabotage came after Nuland expressed a need to prevent Russia from invading Ukraine or risk the end of the natural gas pipeline.
Following Nuland’s resignation, conservative commentator Steve Bannon said in his show “War Room” that the former official needs to “preserve” her documents and “lawyer up.” He indicated that she would be pursued in legal battles because she is the “fountainhead of everything about this Ukraine situation.”
Bannon has a message for Victoria Nuland:
"Preserve your documents. Lawyer up because we are coming for you. You are the fountain head of everything about this Ukraine situation." pic.twitter.com/JsCuiHNqtV
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) March 5, 2024
A Feb. 26 report from The Hill highlighted the confusion felt by American lawmakers as to what role and mission the United States has in Ukraine. Specifically, reporters pointed out that Nuland herself has endorsed financial investment to the war-torn nation, saying that most of the money will come “right back into the U.S. economy.” The Hill “Rising” anchors Briahna Joy Gray and Robby Soave noted that, despite claims from Nuland and other leaders, investing taxpayer money into Ukraine is not an inherent benefit to the American economy.
