Rick Santorum said Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “acting rationally” in Syria, while President Barack Obama is not doing so in Iraq.
Russia conducted its first airstrikes against Syria on Wednesday, a decision that’s been criticized by U.S. officials, including Secretary of Defense Ash Carter who said the move would “inflame the civil war in Syria.”
“I have no problem with the Russians protecting their security,” Santorum told CNN’s Brooke Baldwin. “Vladimir Putin is acting very rationally.”
The Republican presidential candidate says that as president, he would choose take his focus away from Syria to the fight against ISIS in Iraq, since “we have no good options in Syria.”
“Our fight is in Iraq, not in Syria,” Santorum said. The former Pennsylvania senator advocated for putting boots on the ground in Iraq, leaving Putin and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to handle ISIS in Syria.
With the war in Syria garnering national attention, Santorum says he’s worried the United States is no longer a country that is consulted on military action.
“There’s no consequence to lying to this president,” Santorum said in response to Putin conducting airstrikes two days after he met with Obama at the United Nations.
Santorum, who is polling at the back of the crowded Republican 2016 presidential field, also said he is not worried about national polls, saying he has a “strong grassroots effort.”