Republican Senator Lindsey Graham grilled the Biden administration for ignoring the Ukraine issue.
The lawmaker noted the United States should provide additional support to Ukraine, while putting immediate sanctions on Russia.
America must respond to Russian aggression immediately
Graham indicated the United States’ assertiveness in sanctioning Russia is a must, as it will project NATO’s strength to America’s global allies and adversaries, which are watching the whole scenario.
Speaking to “The Brian Kilmeade Show,” the senator noted Biden has always remained a wrecking ball in the matters of national security. Likewise, he claimed Russia’s Vladimir Putin is taking advantage of Biden right now.
Thus, Graham stated many NATO countries, especially the Baltic states, are looking towards America for a robust response. However, the president is busy pursuing his isolationist policies, which are detrimental to American foreign interests.
Biden put almost 8,500 U.S. troops on alert on Monday, which are supposed to be deployed to Ukraine, in case Russia invades the country.
Graham stated he endorsed this step, and America should send a message that we will not back off in any case.
The message the Biden administration and NATO must send to Russia. On the #FoxNewsRundown Evening Edition #podcast, @AEI’s Chris Miller and @TreyYingst discuss the Ukraine crisis and what can change Putin’s ‘calculus’ https://t.co/vDvksS3s49 pic.twitter.com/l60U5fUgFc
— FOX News Radio (@foxnewsradio) January 26, 2022
The Biden administration pledged to impose sanctions on Russia in the aftermath of the possible invasion.
However, the Republican senator wants Biden to function proactively and sanction the Cold War foe right now. Thus, Graham stated the demands of sanctioning Putin are bipartisan.
Therefore, Biden should not wait for the actual invasion to happen, as Russia is destroying the economy of Ukraine, while pushing the whole of Europe into chaos.
Time for NATO to live by its values
As per Graham, saving Ukraine can help the whole world from going into disorder; otherwise, some of the most destabilizing events in recent memory can happen in the region.
For the senator, it is an opportunity for NATO to stand up by its values. However, the opposition states putting sanctions on Russia right now will decrease America’s leverage altogether.
The lawmaker noted Congress should sanction Putin in a bipartisan way, as he has disrupted the world order with the military buildup in the region.
Graham claimed many more Republicans are supporting his narrative of replying to Russia in its own language. This should happen by increasing America’s participation in NATO’s military buildup in Baltic countries.
This would inform Putin that he will not be successful in his warmongering ambitions. By invoking the lend-lease agreement, Graham believes America can help Ukraine in acquiring highly sophisticated weapons.
Here Is What Biden Is Doing On The Russia/Ukraine Crisis https://t.co/oRb5R44OPe via @politicususa
— MissCrayon 🌊🇺🇸 (@moughthere) January 26, 2022
The United States is considering a mix of financial and personal sanctions on Putin if he decides to invade Ukraine.
While Russia will be banned from using American dollars and the global banking system, the former Olympic gymnast Alina Kabaeva, who is supposedly a girlfriend of Putin, is likely to be sanctioned as well.
Although America and its European allies claim to be prepared with a list of sanctions, they are reluctant to disclose it in public, this way the Russian president keeps on guessing.
