A key Senate Republican closely tied to Ukraine on Thursday said that the United States has abandoned its ally and that “hot air” from President Obama won’t stop Russia’s move into its western-leaning neighbor.
“I am in disbelief that we are not doing more to help the people in Ukraine. I just don’t get it,” said Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, who recently was in Ukraine to observe elections. “They have stood with us and it seems we are not standing with them,” he added.
Portman dressed down Obama’s “lack of leadership” in the region during a media breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor.
He said that Ukraine has repeatedly asked Washington for military supplies and arms, and been rebuffed. Instead, he said that Obama has offered toothless speeches, like during the recent *NATO summit, and economic sanctions that don’t appear to be bothering the Kremlin.
“A lot of speeches and hot air from conferences in Europe and presidential speeches means nothing to him,” Portman said in a reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “What means something is if we acted,” he added.
“I don’t think America can be the world’s policeman but I think America has to play the leadership role, more like the sheriff, where you get a posse with you. And the posse is there and it’s the NATO allies,” said the soft-spoken senator sometimes mentioned as a 2016 GOP presidential candidate.
Portman said that former President Ronald Reagan’s “peace through strength” strategy should be used again against Russia and it should include supplying weapons to Ukraine, stationing NATO troops near Russia’s border, and the deployment of a NATO rapid response force.
“It is much more likely that Putin will not continue this aggression on the border, the eastern border of Ukraine, as he did in Crimea already, if he knows that there is going to be some reaction. I think he is probing,” said Portman.
“We need to stand up and be counted, otherwise you will continue to see this unbelievable encroachment on a sovereign country’s territory by Russia,” Portman concluded.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
