Friday on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria,” Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) called into question the Biden administration’s approach to helping Ukraine defend itself from Russia’s invasion.
Gallagher argued that the White House’s “fear of provoking” Russian President Vladimir Putin was “dictating” their response and has resulted in them being “caught flat-footed.”
“Putin invaded Ukraine despite the threats by the Biden administration to punish him with sanctions. They relied entirely on nonmilitary instruments of national power to dissuade Putin, and Putin was not dissuaded,” Gallagher emphasized. “Right now, we’re dealing with another issue. The Pentagon, in our opinion, as the lead Republican on the Armed Services Committee, Mike Rogers, pointed out in our hearing the other day, is not moving fast enough to provide the Ukrainians with the S-300 air defense systems, which will only grow more important if indeed the Russians renew their offensive on Kyiv and other cities throughout the country. So, there’s much more we can do, but the Biden administration repeatedly has gotten caught flat-footed. They’re constantly responding to events, and it’s their fear of provoking Putin that too often is dictating their decisions. We need to stop playing just not to lose. We need to play to win and provide Zelensky with the support he needs.”
“It is that fear of provoking Putin, Maria,” he added. “That’s dictated all their actions from the start and, I think, hamstrung our response.”
Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent
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