U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz continued his call for President Joe Biden to do more for Ukraine.
Last month, as The Free Press reported, Waltz criticized Biden for shipping military aid, including anti-aircraft missiles, to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy too late, and shared how Ukrainian officials he had met with were “incredibly frustrated” by Biden’s lackadaisical response to Russian aggression.
On Friday, Waltz, a St. Augustine Republican and the first Green Beret elected to Congress, argued Biden should ramp up military aid, including providing the “damn MiGs” that Zelenskyy has been requesting.
Ukraine, he wrote in an op-ed for Fox News, “has shocked the world with a valiant defense of its country,” adding that the pesky Ukrainian military has defied expectations in Moscow and Washington by bringing “the Russian military to a standstill across the country.”
“We’ve helped the Ukrainians defend themselves against this invasion. It’s now time we help them go on offense to retake the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine,” wrote Waltz, referring to Crimea and Donbas.
He quoted President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who once noted “guns and tanks and planes are nothing unless there is a solid spirit, a solid heart, and great productiveness behind it.”
Said Waltz, “The Ukrainian people have shown spirit, heart, and productiveness. They now need all the guns, tanks, and planes capable to defeat Russia militarily.”
Waltz again complained about the Biden administration’s timidity in rejecting the idea of providing “offensive” arms to Ukraine because Russian President Vladimir Putin might see that as “escalatory.” Instead, such a stance only served to “invite further aggression for Putin.”
Biden needs to get over that notion, Waltz argued.
He maintained America should provide Ukraine with the capability to ramp up “cross-border missions.” “While the U.S. has belatedly provided much-needed arms, such as stingers and javelins to defend against Russian aircraft and tanks, now is the time to help them advance against (the) Russian military,” Waltz wrote.
The U.S., he added, needs to send Ukraine anti-ship missiles so it can defend its critical port city, Odesa. And Biden must allow aircraft to help keep Russia from controlling the sky.
“Send Ukraine the damn MiGs,” Waltz wrote. “Every day that passes without vital equipment, more civilians are dying.”
Such actions could complement America’s ongoing policy of draconian economic sanctions, said Waltz.
“At this point, Russia needs to know this is a conflict that won’t just drag out, but one that it will ultimately lose,” Waltz said.
The congressman noted that he has co-sponsored a bill to erase “bureaucratic barriers” that prevent U.S. military equipment from reaching Ukraine more quickly. The Senate has passed the measure, Waltz pointed out, and so now Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi should allow an immediate vote.
“When this conflict is over, lawmakers will assess what we could have done more to help Ukraine. They should have been provided arms months ago,” Waltz concluded.
“But until then, the Biden administration has an obligation to show global leadership by utilizing all available tools of the U.S. government to assist Ukraine. It’s time to help Ukraine win this war.”
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