Today, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) joined Trace Gallagher on Fox News to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine. Watch the full interview here, or read highlights of the conversation below.
On standing up to Putin:
“Though we should always be cognizant of nuclear escalation and we shouldn’t go around needlessly provoking anyone, we shouldn’t allow the fear of escalation, or the fear of provocation, or the fear of what Putin might do to dictate our actions. And indeed, it’s that fear itself, such as it makes us hesitate, that is provocative and that Putin feeds upon. Just look at the year leading up to the invasion itself, where the administration delayed lethal assistance on no less than two occasions for fear of provoking Vladimir Putin. And of course, he took that and ran with it, and he invaded Ukraine. It’s always good to be prudent in matters of geopolitics, but we should not fear Putin. We should stand strong with our allies and take courage from the bravery that the Ukrainians are showing every day on the ground.”
On US support for Ukraine:
“We should operate with the idea that Ukraine can win. Now, it’s highly unlikely that they’ll kick Russian troops out of Crimea, which they have occupied since 2014. But I could see them continuing to have a devastating effect on Russian troops in the South and East of the country, and push back Putin’s renewed offensive, particularly if Putin wants to expand the battlefield in the South to Odessa. We should give the Ukrainians what they need to continue to impose devastating costs on the Russian army.”
On the next steps for the US:
“Our task is: One, let’s not impose a preemptive peace term or set of agreements onto the Ukrainians. That’s their choice to make. But two, as we talked about before, let’s put them in the best possible position in order to win on the battlefield and then translate that battlefield success into diplomatic success. Finally, we just went through seven years worth of javelins in Ukraine. We’re going to have to replenish our own stockpiles, which are going to be increasingly important in other regions of the world, most notably in Taiwan to make sure China doesn’t invade.”
