Ex-Trump national security advisor calls Putin a 'killer' at CPAC as his former boss praised Russia's leader as 'smart'

Robert O'Brien, a former national security advisor to the Trump administration, said on Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was a "killer" and that his former boss had described the leader's rationale for invading Ukraine as "sophisticated".

While speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Florida, O'Brien warned of the perils of Putin's leadership on the world stage.

Putin's conquest of Ukraine isn't enough for him. He made threats last week to the Baltic states. During his speech, Putin said that he held out the possibility of a nuclear war against any nation that opposed him.

He said that Putin wants to rebuild the Russian Empire. He isn't a person to be admired no matter how charming or clever he is portrayed to be.

The diplomat used the same words as President Joe Biden, who last year told ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos that he agreed with labeling the Russian leader a "murderer".

O'Brien's statement stands in stark contrast to Trump, who on Saturday expressed sympathy for the Ukrainian people while simultaneously blaming Biden for the conflict.

The Russian attack on Ukraine is appalling, an outrage and an atrocity that should never have happened. We are praying for the people of Ukraine. The former president said God bless them all.

When a weak president is not respected by other nations, you have a chaotic world. The problem is not that Putin is smart, but that our leaders are dumb.

The root cause of the Russia-Ukraine conflict was linked to Biden's leadership abilities by the majority of the speakers at CPAC.

In an interview with the Washington Examiner conducted after the CPAC speech, O'Brien said that Republican attitudes toward Russia caused a disappointment in Biden's response.

I think Ronald Reagan is still the leader of the party and peace through strength is the same as America First. President Trump used to talk about President Reagan all the time in the Oval Office, he told the publication.

Condoleezza Rice, an expert on Russian foreign policy who has met with Putin several times, noted the inconsistency of his behavior during an appearance on Fox News Sunday.

He was always calculating. This is not the same. She said during the interview that he seems erratic.

She said that there was always a kind of victimology about what had happened to them, but now it goes back to blaming Lenin for the foundation of Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has remained defiant in the face of the invasion, projecting a sense of optimism as the country fights for its very existence against Moscow.

He said during a Saturday briefing that the armed forces are doing everything they can to destroy the enemy.