Former Secretary of State John Kerry, who has faced criticism for his globe-trotting climate activism aboard private jets, found himself on the defensive during an awkward MSNBC interview this week.
Speaking from Rome, where he attended the funeral of Pope Francis, Kerry was questioned by MSNBC anchor Chris Jansing about his record regarding Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.
Jansing prefaced her question by calling Pope Francis a “voice for peace” and noted the Pope’s outspoken criticism of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Then came the pointed reminder: “You were Secretary of State when Russia annexed Crimea, and I want to ask you…”
Before she could finish, a visibly rattled Kerry jumped in. “But when they stated they were,” he interrupted sharply.
“We did not allow them to annex it. And we stood and we stood up against it,” Kerry insisted, visibly agitated.
“Right,” Jansing replied. “They said that it was theirs.”
“Yeah, they said it, but under international law, that does not make it theirs,” Kerry retorted, clearly eager to distance himself from the historical reality.
Jansing continued pressing, asking Kerry for his opinion on President Donald Trump’s recent remarks suggesting Russia might retain control of Crimea in a future peace settlement.
“Well, who knows?” Kerry responded, shrugging off the suggestion. “I personally don’t agree with putting that out there on the table.”
While Kerry now criticizes open negotiations during times of conflict, his own record suggests a very different posture in the past.
In 1970, amid the height of the Vietnam War, Kerry traveled to Paris to meet with representatives of the North Vietnamese government—a move undertaken without official U.S. government authorization. Later, during testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1971, Kerry admitted under oath that he had spoken with both the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the Provisional Revolutionary Government.
“I have talked with both delegations at the peace talks,” Kerry said during the hearing, according to transcripts.
Despite his attempts to deflect criticism today, Kerry’s history of engaging with America’s adversaries during wartime and his defensive posture under pressure continue to fuel longstanding skepticism about his judgment on international affairs.