What a difference a week makes. After months of posturing, Russian President Vladimir Putin executed his threat of invading Ukraine on Thursday night. An aerial bombardment was accompanied by land and sea invasions.
Democrats and Republicans haven’t completely set aside their differences when it comes to responding to Russia’s invasion, though everyone appears to agree that swift sanctions, if not necessarily SWIFT sanctions, are appropriate.
President Joe Biden announced a “first tranche” of penalties for Putin after he recognized two breakaway republics in eastern Ukraine as independent states. The United States and the European Union followed those up with another round of sanctions Thursday after Russia’s full-scale invasion. Republicans said they would have liked to see harsher sanctions earlier but everyone is working to determine how to counter Russia’s aggression without putting troops inside Ukraine.
Of course, as terrible as war is, it cannot stop the roil of domestic politics. On Friday, Biden announced his nominee to replace the retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, picking Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Biden nominated Jackson to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia last June. If the Senate confirms her nomination, Jackson will be the first black woman to serve as a Supreme Court Justice — giving Biden a rare chance to fulfill a campaign promise.
Here are the quotes of the week:
“What I saw, that I had never seen as a member of Congress, was we have all kinds of intelligence about fake Russia collusion. That Hillary Clinton had created or had a campaign plan to create fake Russian allegations to smear Donald Trump with things about Russia that weren’t true.”
– Former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe talking with Mark Levin about evidence he saw as former President Donald Trump’s DNI.
“Sadly, the virus itself, particularly, the variant called omicron, is a type of vaccine, that is, it creates both B-cell and T-cell immunity, and it’s done a better job getting out to the world population than we have with vaccines. That means the chance of severe disease, which is mainly associated with being elderly and having obesity or diabetes, those risks are now dramatically reduced because of that infection, exposure.”
– Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, speaking at the Munich Security Conference about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.
“Russian troops moving into Donbas by itself would not be a new step.”
– An anonymous Biden administration officials noting that stepped-up Russian aggression was not considered an invasion on Monday because there was already activity in the separatist regions of Ukraine.
“The time for taking action to impose significant costs on President Putin and the Kremlin starts now. Instead of choosing the path of diplomatic engagement offered by the United States and Europe, President Putin in a rambling, grievance-fueled speech today has made clear he intends to further invade Ukraine in a blatant effort to redraw the borders of Eastern Europe according to the whims of Moscow.”
– Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, on when the U.S. should respond to Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
“These measures respond to Russia’s recognition gambit. They are not the swift and severe economic measures we have been preparing in coordination with allies and partners should Russia further invade Ukraine.”
– A senior administration official Monday night on sanctions the White House placed on Ukraine’s separatist regions.
“The definition of impotence.”
– How House Armed Services Committee ranking Republican Mike Rogers and House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking Republican Michael McCaul describing the sanctions after Russia sent “peacekeepers” into breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.
“My plan will be ridiculed by the woke left, mocked by Washington insiders, and strike fear in the heart of some Republicans. Americans deserve to know what we will do when given the chance to govern.”
– Sen. Rick Scott on his policy plan to “save America.”
“This strategy of imposing sanctions by waves, if I may put it this way, is something that can work if it continues in a very sustained — in a sustainable way. President Putin should not have a single minute when he starts to think that this is the threshold, this is the ceiling. This pressure should continue to be stepped up, and if that involves regular issuance of executive orders on new sanctions, we will be more than happy to see that.”
– Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on the U.S. strategy of sanctioning breakaway regions in Ukraine.
“I fear that Putin may assess the West does not have the stomach to impose truly significant measures given the incremental nature of today’s announcement. I hope that time proves him wrong, as it is clear he has no intention of stopping with just taking the breakaway territories.”
– Brian O’Toole, an Atlantic Council senior fellow and former Treasury Department official, on Biden’s initial sanctions on Russia.
“This legislation shows there is bipartisan unity in Congress to provide President Biden with the tools needed to swiftly deliver critical defense capabilities to Ukraine and stand firm against the Kremlin. The Kremlin will pay a hefty price if they escalate this crisis, and the U.S. will put its money where its mouth is to help Ukraine defend itself.”
– Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, on bipartisan legislation aimed at punishing Russia for its aggression in Ukraine.
“The root of today’s crisis around Ukraine is the actions of Ukraine itself, who for many years were sabotaging its obligations under the [Minsk agreement].”
– Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Alekseevich Nebenzya, defending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during a U.N. national security council meeting.
“No panic. We are strong. We are ready for everything. We will win over everybody because we are Ukraine,” he added.
– Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressing the country after Russia began its invasion.
“Regarding the definition of an invasion, I think we should go back to how to view the current situation in Ukraine. The Ukrainian issue has a very complicated historical background that has continued to today. It may not be what everyone wants to see.”
– Hua Chunying, China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, on how China views Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
“We still believe … they have every intention of basically decapitating the government and installing their own method governance.”
– A senior U.S. defense official detailing what the U.S. sees as Russia’s strategy in Ukraine.
“No one expected the sanctions to prevent anything from happening.”
– Biden addressing the war in Ukraine and the West’s actions leading up to Russia’s invasion.
“We will fight. This is our land. These are our people. Yes, we are facing a much stronger force against us, but we are fighting on our soil for our land. And there were many cases in the history of the world where a smaller nation would prevail over a bigger one simply because it was fighting on the right side of history.”
– Kuleba on Ukraine’s resistance against Russian forces.
“According to our information, the enemy marked me as target No. 1 — my family as target No. 2. They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state. We have information that enemy sabotage groups have entered Kyiv.”
– Zelensky before he and his family sought refuge in a bunker in Kyiv amid a bombing campaign by Russia.
“This morning, we are defending our country alone. Just like yesterday, the most powerful country in the world looked on from a distance. Russia was hit with sanctions yesterday, but these are not enough to get these foreign troops off our soil. Only through solidarity and determination can this be achieved.”
– Zelensky in an apparent reference to the U.S. on Friday.
“As a fellow South Carolinian and the product of some of America’s finest public schools, I believe Judge Michelle Childs would have been an excellent nominee to our nation’s highest court. I am disappointed that President Biden missed the opportunity to nominate a highly-qualified judge who would have garnered widespread bipartisan support.”
– Sen. Tim Scott on Biden passing over Childs for his Supreme Court nominee in favor of Jackson.
