Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders compared intervention in a possible conflict between Russia and Ukraine to the Iraq War on the Senate floor Thursday afternoon.
The senator also invoked the Vietnam War and its unintended consequences before discouraging Ukrainian entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
“Despite all of the rosy scenarios we heard for those foreign policy and military interventions, it turned out that the experts were wrong. And millions of innocent people paid the price,” he said.
We must vigorously support diplomatic efforts to deescalate this crisis and reaffirm Ukrainian independence and sovereignty. I’m LIVE on the Senate floor explaining why. https://t.co/YXLn7DKZ4r
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 10, 2022
Sanders warned of severe results from a similar war in Ukraine. “There could be over 50,000 civilian casualties in Ukraine, not to mention millions of refugees flooding neighboring countries as they flee what could be the worst European conflict since World War II.”
“Does anyone really believe that the United States would not have something to say if, for example, Mexico or Cuba or any country in Central or Latin America were to form a military alliance with a U.S. adversary?” he added, urging his colleagues to empathize with Russia.
DECODING UKRAINE’S CLAIM THAT IT JUST PREVENTED A RUSSIAN FALSE FLAG ATTACK
“The fact is that the U.S. and Ukraine entering into a deeper security relationship is likely to have some very serious costs for both countries.”
It was reported Wednesday that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that recent U.S. moves in the region, as well as aid provided to Ukraine, amount to “blackmail” to force Moscow’s hand.
Recently, the State Department ordered the evacuation of diplomats from Ukraine and repositioned troops in European countries to bolster the defenses of allies in the region. President Joe Biden also ordered additional troops to be sent to surrounding European countries.
This week, it was revealed that the Pentagon will not allow reporters to embed with troops in Europe to cover the Ukraine-Russia tensions.
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“We don’t make decisions to grant access or not to grant access lightly, and there’s lots of factors that go into that. Sometimes, it has to do with operational security. Sometimes, it has to do with how that kind of access nests into the larger strategy that we’re pursuing,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters during a Wednesday briefing.
