By Edith Loyola 
Former President Joe Biden broke his silence since leaving the White House, granting his first formal interview to the BBC on the “Political Thinking” podcast with Nick Robinson. This 30-minute conversation, conducted at the historic Hotel Du Pont in Wilmington, Delaware, came at a significant moment, as allied nations prepare to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. The location holds special significance for Biden, as it was where he launched his Senate campaign more than 50 years ago.
Putin and Modern-Day Appeasement
Amid the ongoing tensions in Eastern Europe, Biden was asked about recent U.S. proposals for Ukraine to cede territory to Russia as part of a potential peace agreement. These proposals, as reported by The Washington Post, were presented to Ukraine last month and include the formal recognition of Crimea as Russian territory, freezing the conflict’s front lines, and eventually lifting sanctions against Russia as part of a future accord.
Regarding this, Biden strongly rejected the idea, describing it as “modern-day appeasement” and questioning the logic of allowing an authoritarian leader to seize foreign territories.
“I don’t understand how someone can think that if we allow a dictator, a thug, to decide that he is going to take large portions of territory that don’t belong to him… that’s going to satisfy him. I just don’t understand it,” Biden said, directly referencing Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Moreover, the former president emphasized that Putin has never fully accepted the collapse of the Soviet Union, which, in his view, drives much of the Russian leader’s aggressive and expansionist foreign policy.
“He can’t stand the fact that the Russian dictatorship he runs, that the Soviet Union, has collapsed. And anyone who thinks he’s going to stop… is simply naive,” Biden added, stressing that allowing such actions would only encourage further aggression.
Strained Relations with Allies
On another front, Biden sharply criticized the Trump administration’s handling of international allies, an issue he considers crucial for global stability. Specifically, he referenced Trump’s controversial comments about renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America and his publicly stated desire to control Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark.
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From Biden’s perspective, these statements are not only inappropriate but also fundamentally opposed to the core principles of the United States, such as democracy and freedom, which have defined its foreign policy for decades.
“What the hell is going on here? What president talks like that? That’s not who we are. We’re about freedom, democracy, opportunity, not confiscation,” Biden said, expressing visible frustration.
In a similar tone, Biden also described the infamous Oval Office confrontation between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “beneath America.” According to reports, this meeting escalated into a heated exchange, with Trump and Vice President JD Vance reportedly chastising Zelensky for not being sufficiently grateful for U.S. military support—an incident Biden viewed as profoundly inappropriate.
The Risk of a Fragmented NATO
Additionally, Biden expressed deep concern over the current state of NATO, arguing that its collapse could “change the modern history of the world” by encouraging powers like Russia and China to act more aggressively. In this context, he emphasized that, over his five decades in politics, he has developed personal relationships with nearly every major world leader, many of whom have repeatedly expressed their desire to maintain a strong military alliance.
“Imagine a world without NATO. Do you think Putin would have stopped at Ukraine? Do we think Putin would have stopped? … I don’t understand how they fail to grasp that there is strength in alliances, that there are benefits — the cost, it saves us money overall,” Biden reflected, underscoring the importance of these alliances for global peace and stability.
His Withdrawal from the 2024 Presidential Race
Regarding his decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race less than four months before the election, Biden admitted that it was “difficult to walk away.” However, he insisted that he has no regrets about his decision and believes it was not too late for Vice President Kamala Harris to mount an effective campaign. According to Biden, this transition is part of his commitment to pass the torch to a new generation of leaders.
“I don’t think it would have mattered. We left at a time when we had a good candidate. She [was] fully funded,” Biden explained.
The former president also reiterated his vision of a transitional government, designed to pass power to new voices capable of addressing the challenges of a rapidly changing world.
“I meant what I said when I started. That… I’m preparing to hand this to the next generation. It’s a transition government. But things moved so quickly that it made it difficult to walk away,” he concluded.
The Awakening of the Republican Party
Finally, Biden appeared less concerned than he once was about a potential threat to American democracy, suggesting that the Republican Party is “waking up to what Trump really is.” Although he avoided a direct evaluation of Trump’s first 100 days in his second term, Biden chose to leave that judgment to history, emphasizing that his successor is “not behaving like a Republican president.”
“He’s not behaving like a Republican president,” Biden said when asked if Trump was acting “more like a monarch than a president.”