Montana Senator Says Ukraine Needs Military Aid Right Now
Montana Senator Steve Daines, with a bipartisan group of Congressmen and women, held a press conference on C-SPAN on Monday following a visit to Germany and Poland to asses the flow of aid to Ukraine.
When his turn at the microphone came, Daines said February 24 (the date the Russians invaded Ukraine) was Europe’s 9-11.
“We heard from our German friends and from other Europeans, that February 24th was Germany's and Europe's 9-11,” began Daines. “By the way, it was no coincidence that Vladimir Putin waited until post-Beijing Olympics which ended on February 20. I have to believe that he (President Xi of China) sent a ‘save the date’ card to Putin from China to make sure that they had clear air for this invasion.”
Daines recalled after visiting the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the words spoke by Ronald Reagan many years ago ‘Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall’, and what Reagan might say to our current President in this situation.
“Ronald Reagan talked a lot about peace through strength and that message of peace through strength rings true today,” he said. “I might add something else we talked with some members of the German Bundestag and other conversations is the concept of ‘peace through energy security’. I wonder if President Reagan were here today as he was thinking about energy dependencies about how important it is who supplies your oil, your natural gas, your coal, if President Reagan were here today, I wonder if he would walk down perhaps in front of the Capitol or perhaps in front of the White House and say ‘President Biden drill baby drill’.”
Daines referenced a speech by Ukraine President Zelenskyy in which he inferred that only military action will end the Russian invasion.
“As much as we would like to see a negotiated outcome, I believe a negotiated outcome is unlikely,” he said. “If you heard President Zelenskyy speak to the (Israeli) Knesset yesterday to the Israelis, he quoted former Prime Minister Golda Meir, who, by the way, was the Prime Minister during the Yom Kippur War of 1973. She was born in Kiev. She's Ukrainian, he quoted her and she said this ‘we intend to remain alive. Our neighbors want to see us dead. This is not a question that leaves much room for compromise’. That was President Zelenskyy yesterday speaking to the Knesset.”
Daines ended with a plea to the rest of the world to send military aid to Ukraine as soon as possible.
“But the bottom line is the fastest way to end the suffering is to win the war,” he said. “We heard that loud and clear from the Ukrainians, we need the lethal aid now. They said we don't need more statements or more press conferences. We need action. We need the aircraft with the lethal aid now. They said there's a window to get it. That's what's going to be most beneficial and the time is now.”
Daines was flanked by nearly a dozen Senators and Representatives for the press conference in Washington, D.C.
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