Ben & Jerry's co-founder blames NATO, 'military-industrial-congressional complex' for Russia-Ukraine conflict
Cohen claimed that 'money won' in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, profiting on weapons sales throughout the region
Ben Cohen, co-founder of the proudly political Ben & Jerry's ice cream company, voiced his disdain for U.S. and NATO involvement in Ukraine during a recent interview.
Cohen, in an interview with Politico published Thursday, expressed frustration with NATO expansionism and the "military-industrial-congressional complex" as aggravating factors in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"In the end, money won," Cohen told Politico. "And today, not only are they providing weapons to all the new NATO countries, but they’re providing weapons to Ukraine."
"I’m not supporting Russia, I’m not supporting Ukraine," he added. "I’m supporting negotiations to end the war instead of providing more weapons to continue the war."
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Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, speaks outside the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.
Cohen, who grew up amid Cold War tensions and ill-fated U.S. involvement in Vietnam, attributes listening to the 1963 song "Masters of War" by iconic singer-songwriter Bob Dylan as an awakening moment.
"That was kind of a revelation to me," Cohen said. "I hadn’t understood that, you know, there were these masters of war — essentially I guess what we would now call the military-industrial-congressional complex — that profit from war."
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Ben Cohen is arrested outside the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., while protesting the prosecution of Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange on July 6, 2023. (Win McNamee / Getty Images)
The ice cream mogul, who no longer maintains any control over his namesake dessert brand, has not allowed aging to slow down his commitment to political protest and activism.
Cohen was arrested earlier this month by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) police for blocking the entrance to the Department of Justice building in Washington, D.C., where he was protesting the detainment of Julian Assange.
Assange is imprisoned at Belmarsh Prison in London and may soon be extradited to the U.S.
Ben Cohen before his arrest outside the Department of Justice. (Win McNamee / Getty Images)
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Images from the scene showed Cohen sitting next to a woman holding a "Free Assange" sign as police and security personnel stood nearby.
Later images posted by The Associated Press showed Cohen being led away in handcuffs by DHS officers.
FOX Business' Anders Hagstrom, David Spunt, Jake Gibson and Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.