Former NATO Ambassador Kay Bailey Hutchison says Vladimir Putin is uniting allies.
More than a month into the invasion, Russian troops continue to try to drive deeper into Ukraine. Kay Bailey Hutchison, former U.S. Senator and former UN Ambassador to NATO, said Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions are uniting allies.
“He thought probably that he could invade Ukraine as he did Crimea, as he did Georgia and not face consequences. And instead of dividing NATO, and NATO debating about whether it called for our doing something to help this country that has been attacked, it united NATO,” said Hutchison.
The former ambassador said the U.S could be doing more to help.
“We ought to give them more weapons to be sure they don't run out. While we have avenues to get weapons in, we need to produce those weapons for Ukraine,” she said.
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Hutchison said there are areas where the U.S. can contribute, including making more natural gas and oil available.
“We have it. We can produce it. It will take some time for some of this,” Hutchison said.
Hutchison said a united front is necessary as this continues.
“We have 30 allies in NATO. We have 40 partners, all that are western cultures that have freedom, and all of us need to stand together to be strong to tell Putin clearly you will not win,” said Hutchison.
In his nightly address to Ukraine Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his priorities are “sovereignty and territorial integrity” in regards to upcoming talks with Russia.
Capping a four-day trip to Europe Saturday, President Joe Biden said of Russian leader Vladimir Putin: “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” words the White House immediately sought to downplay. But Biden on Monday said he was merely stating his personal feelings and giving voice to his "moral outrage" over Russian actions in Ukraine.
