In the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, three leading GOP members of the House of Representatives released a statement in which they condemned Putin, writing, “Every drop of Ukrainian and Russian blood spilled in this conflict is on Putin’s hands, and his alone.”
The statement from House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead Republican Michael McCaul (R-TX), House Armed Services Committee Lead Republican Mike Rogers (R-AL), and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Lead Republican Mike Turner (R-OH) read:
The last few hours have laid bare for the world to witness the true evil that is Vladimir Putin. Today, we stand resolute with the Ukrainian people and resolve to provide them with the tools they need to withstand and repel this unprovoked attack. Every drop of Ukrainian and Russian blood spilled in this conflict is on Putin’s hands, and his alone.
In response, we are committed to enacting the strongest possible sanctions and export controls to cripple Russia’s ability to make war, punish its barbarity and relegate the Putin regime to the status of an international pariah. We cannot respond like we did in 2008 or 2014. The world must never forget or forgive this heinous act.
Two days prior to that statement, the same trio of Congressmen had warned what Putin might do after Putin “recognized” the Russian-backed separatist republics in the Donbas region of Ukraine as independent and ordered Russian troops to deploy there, writing:
As we’ve said for months, setting the trigger for meaningful sanctions to Russian tanks rolling across Ukraine’s border was a dangerous mistake. Secretary Blinken committed to a ‘swift and firm response’ by the United States and its allies if Putin recognized Russian-backed separatist republics in Donbas. Now that the Kremlin has done so, we must immediately impose real costs for this blatant act of aggression and flagrant violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Unfortunately, the sanctions previewed by the White House thus far are the definition of impotence.
With reports that Putin is now sending troops into the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk under the guise of “peacekeepers,” now is not the time for symbolic pinpricks that will serve only to embolden Putin and endanger our friends in Ukraine. Now is the time for President Biden to impose sanctions that strike at the heart of the Russian economy, and permanently end Nord Stream 2 once and for all, as he promised the world he would do.
Last Saturday, McCaul and Rogers joined senators Jim Risch (R-ID), the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Jim Inhofe (R-OK), the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee released a statement warning President Biden against weakening U.S. nuclear declaratory policy and urging the Biden administration to commit to fully funding the current U.S. nuclear modernization plan. They stated:
As Russia assembles forces for what would be the largest land war in Europe since WWII, Vladimir Putin is overseeing a massive strategic exercise to demonstrate the Russian Federation’s willingness to fight and win a nuclear exchange with the West. Reportedly, this exercise is using the full range of Russian strategic, tactical, and advanced hypersonic delivery systems to carry out nuclear strikes – many of which would only be useful against Western Europe or the United States.
The message is clear: Russia will use its modernized and capable nuclear arsenal to shape NATO responses and, if necessary, compel a favorable outcome in a conflict. President Biden, on the other hand, is conducting a review of the United States’ own nuclear posture and considering shedding vital nuclear capabilities and moving away from the nuclear declaratory policy that has deterred the wartime use of nuclear weapons globally for over 70 years. Our NATO allies understand how damaging these moves can be to global stability, and they have been united in opposing such moves.
It’s clear that the Biden Administration’s approach is completely out of touch with the dangerous reality facing the U.S., NATO, and our allies around the world. Embracing a weakened U.S. nuclear posture will not reduce the risks of nuclear use by Moscow, Beijing, or Pyongyang; it will only serve to undermine allied confidence in U.S. leadership and embolden our adversaries to take even more aggressive actions.
President Biden believes himself a foreign policy and national security pragmatist. This is one situation where the pragmatic course is clear, and we expect President Biden to commit to fully funding the current U.S. nuclear modernization plan and abandon all consideration of changes to U.S. nuclear declaratory policy. This is no time for weakness – we must project strength if peace and stability are to prevail.
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