Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday morning said it will take time for nations to come together and implement more severe sanctions against Russia and President Vladimir Putin following Russia's attack on Ukraine.
"Sanctions take time, but not only signaling sanctions on individuals all the way up to Putin, but beginning to implement those sanctions," Clinton said on MSNBC. "For our European friends who are wary about this, back when I was secretary of state, I started an energy dialogue with the Germans. I said you cannot be reliant on Russian energy that will come back to bite you, but you know, everybody has their own timetable.
"What we need to do with the Europeans is persuade them the tougher we are now the faster we can try to get this under control. I hope that that will be part of the conversation that President [Joe] Biden has with the heads of state that he's talking to."
Appearing on "Morning Joe," Clinton said the fight against Putin needs to occur within the U.S., too.
"I do think it's important to support both the Ukrainian military and then depending upon what happens and how quickly events unfold, supporting those who are putting up resistance," she told MSNBC.
"I want to make another point which is that we have to also make sure that within our own country we are calling out those people who are giving aid and comfort to Vladimir Putin, who are talking about what a genius he is, what a smart move it is, who are unfortunately being broadcast by Russian media, not only inside Russia, but in Europe to demonstrate the division within our own country."
Clinton and the MSNBC hosts spent time bashing Republicans and people who disagree with their approach to Russia.
"I think it's time for what's left of the Republican party that has any common sense not just to say, OK, go help defend Ukraine against Putin, but to stand against those people in politics and government, in the media and elsewhere in our own country who are literally giving aid and comfort to an enemy of freedom and democracy," she told MSNBC. "It can't — it can't continue because it plays right into the ambitions of not just Putin, but also President Xi of China to undermine democracy, to literally divide and conquer the west without ever invading us, but by setting us against each other."
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