The Dire Situation in Ukraine

The fate of one of our allies is at the discretion of Vladimir Putin. There are at least 130,000 Russian troops stationed on Ukraine’s border and the waters off the country’s shore have been blocked, leading to potential economic harm for Ukraine. The threat of an invasion is imminent. The trajectory of Putin’s geopolitical goals is clear, and what we’ve seen from President Biden is a lack of seriousness and urgency around this dire situation. If Russia invades Ukraine, it will be a direct threat to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and American interests in the region, with the potential to be an Afghanistan-in-Europe humanitarian disaster.

This situation comes after a year of failed foreign policy and weakness from the Biden Administration. We should have been providing air defense systems and anti-ship weaponry to Kyiv last fall when this build up started. Instead, this Administration removed sanctions, allowing Russia to complete the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, making our European allies reliant on the Kremlin for their energy needs. President Biden has continued to use the failed foreign policy approach of the Obama Administration, which allowed the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Following the devastating withdrawal from Afghanistan, it is no surprise that our nation’s reputation on the world stage has been tarnished, and unfortunately, our adversaries have noticed. I am deeply concerned that there will be another humanitarian disaster because of the Administration’s actions. Furthermore, we could see death tolls in the thousands with a flood of refugees attempting to flee Ukraine. We must avoid another heartbreaking crisis, while standing strong against Putin. This is a test of whether the U.S. can still lead – and the president of China, Xi Jinping, is watching.

I am dedicated to holding Putin and the Russian government accountable while supporting Ukraine. I am a cosponsor of H.R. 6367, the Guaranteeing Ukrainian Autonomy by Reinforcing its Defense (GUARD) Act, which would provide Ukraine with critical capabilities, including surface-to-air missiles, air defense systems, anti-ship missiles, anti-tank mines, and others. This bill would also sanction Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline to prevent it from becoming operational. Additionally, I support Republican efforts to ensure strong sanctions are placed upon the Kremlin and Russian oligarchs.

Unfortunately, this crisis serves as another example of Biden’s weakness against our foreign adversaries. The U.S. must show strength on the world stage and stand with our ally in Ukraine. President Reagan said it best, we must follow a “peace through strength” mentality.