Sanctions alone will not protect Ukraine from Russian President Vladimir Putin. That’s the message from Congress. Instead, some military assistance is in order — just no boots on the ground.
“You can do non-combatant military aid in a way that allows them to defend themselves,” Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
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“We’re talking about small arms,” said Rogers, who was speaking from the Georgian capital of Tblisi. “Maybe medical supplies, radio equipment — things that they can use to protect themselves — defensive posture weapons systems. And you do that in conjunction with sanctions, now you’ve got something that says, ‘Mr. Putin, we’re done with you expanding into other countries.’”
The Obama administration has imposed sanctions on Russian citizens and a Russian bank as punitive measures and to prevent a military escalation in the region. Providing small arms and other weaponry would constitute greater U.S. involvement in support of Ukraine.
Lawmakers in Washington have yet to enact legislation to support Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea. Congress was out of session last week, and lawmakers left town without reaching an agreement on an aid package for Ukraine. The Senate is set to consider the aid package when it reconvenes this week.
“There are some things that we could do that don't involve our boots on the ground to really help them also stand up and help their military really at this time,” Kelly Ayotte, a New Hampshire Republican and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said today on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
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“We could do more in terms of communications equipment that we can help them with, technical assistance,” Ayotte said in an interview from Kiev. She also advocated for broader sanctions against Russia by expanding them to include the country’s energy and financial sectors.
The U.S. has been criticized for considering small-scale assistance that includes military food rations. The Defense Department is reviewing Ukraine’s request for non-lethal items such as medical supplies and uniform equipment, Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said on March 20.
Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, said on “Face the Nation” Sunday that the Ukranian military needs non-lethal items such as fuel, sleeping bags and meals. Durbin, who was in Ukraine last week, also said that providing small arms should be an option.
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Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, also appeared on “Face the Nation,” where he criticized President Obama’s policy of resetting relations with Russia.
“The president's naiveté with regards to Russia, and his faulty judgment about Russia's intentions and objectives, has led to a number of foreign policy challenges that we face,” said Romney, a former Massachusetts governor. “Unfortunately, not having anticipated Russia's intentions, the president wasn't able to shape the kinds of events that may have been able to prevent the kinds of circumstances that you're seeing in the Ukraine.”
During the presidential campaign Romney said Russia was the biggest geopolitical threat to the U.S. In their final debate, Obama mocked Romney for the comment.
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