Wisconsin Congressman Mike Gallagher (R) warned on Tuesday that the situation between Russia and Ukraine will get “much worse.”
Gallagher, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, joined Fox News’ Martha MacCallum in an interview to discuss the ongoing threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Gallagher also slammed President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken for failing Ukraine on foreign policy.
“This administration has delayed in providing assistance to Ukraine, it has projected indecisiveness internationally, and now they’re reviving another bad Obama-era idea, which is this so-called ‘hashtag diplomacy’,” the congressman accused. “You have the Secretary of State tweeting, ‘I #stand with Ukraine’ while at the same time, the President is effectively greenlighting a minor incursion into Ukraine from the Russians. So I fear all of this adds up to a very permissive environment for Vladimir Putin. And the situation is about to get much worse.”
Last week, Biden suggested that the U.S. would not respond to a “minor incursion” from Russia – remarks that White House staff had to clean up for the president. “It’s one thing if it’s a minor incursion and we end up having to fight about what to do and not do,” Biden told reporters on Wednesday. “But if they actually do what they’re capable of doing with the forces amassed on the border, it is going to be a disaster for Russia if they further invade Ukraine.”
On Monday, Biden put 8,500 U.S. troops on “heightened alert” amid Russia’s potential invasion of Ukraine. That move came just a day after Biden ordered families of U.S. personnel at the embassy in Kyiv to leave the country, The Daily Wire reported.
“The security conditions, particularly along Ukraine’s borders, in Russia-occupied Crimea, and in Russia-controlled eastern Ukraine, are unpredictable and can deteriorate with little notice. Demonstrations, which have turned violent at times, regularly occur throughout Ukraine, including in Kyiv,” the State Department said. “Do not travel to Ukraine due to the increased threats of Russian military action and COVID-19. Exercise increased caution in Ukraine due to crime and civil unrest. Some areas have increased risk.”
Gallagher told MacCallum that America must pursue a strong stance against Russian aggression. “Peace through strength works,” he commented. “When America instead projects weakness and not strength, we open up a vacuum.”
Gallagher didn’t end his criticisms for the Biden administration with its handling of Russian aggression. He went on to mention other foreign policy problems facing America.
“It’s not just Ukraine we’re talking about,” he said. “We’re talking about a looming crisis over Taiwan. Of course General Secretary Xi Jinping is sitting there right now thinking, ‘You know what, given how weak America looks, I could probably get away with an invasion of Taiwan. If the worst I’m going to suffer is a mean hashtag from Jen Psaki, I’m going to go for it.’”