WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01) released the following statement on President Biden’s comments on Ukraine and the ongoing situation unfolding between Ukraine and Russia:
“President Biden’s ‘minor incursion’ comment last night was reckless and irresponsible. Plainly, this was disrespectful to Ukraine’s sovereignty. Putin will continue these invasions and his attempted reunification of the Soviet Bloc until he is forced to pay a cost not worth bearing. I have deep concerns that this administration is not willing to impose that cost.
“‘Crippling economic sanctions’ likely won’t be enough of a cost, as Putin has likely factored economic pain into his plans. But imposing a higher cost doesn’t necessarily mean U.S. combat operations. The U.S. should significantly increase its military aid by arming Ukraine. On top of traditional military equipment, this includes providing short-range air defense systems, rocket artillery systems, and access to Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms.
“Additionally, the U.S. and our European allies should consider deploying special forces components to further train the Ukrainian military in insurgent warfare. Lastly, we should be prepared to assist Ukraine with non-kinetic military operations. Assisting Ukraine with cyber operations and electronic warfare to disrupt Russian ISR and communications can have an outsized impact on this potential conflict.
“In short, this is about more than just Ukraine today, this is about the rest of Eastern Europe and Central Asia tomorrow. We must deter Russia and Putin by showing them that the juice isn’t worth the squeeze and the cost isn’t worth the benefit.”
