After Russia escalated its attacks on Ukraine this week, with the bombing of a children’s hospital and maternity hospital and repeated bombings near nuclear facilities and civilian areas, Illinois Democrat Mike Quigley said it was time for Ukraine to be treated as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO). And the US, he argues, should do more to help Ukrainians defend themselves.
“Ukraine has earned a treat as a NATO member,” Quigley, co-chair of the Ukrainian caucus in Congress, told CBS News Washington correspondent Major Garrett in the episode this week’s “The Takeout” podcast. “[Ukraine’s] The struggle is the struggle and the argument for forming NATO in the first place, at least in spirit. “
Last weekend, Quigley and other members of Congress joined a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss how the US can help Ukraine even further. Zelensky called on the United States and Western allies to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine, an idea that does not have the support of NATO, the EU or the Biden administration, for fear that the war Ukraine could become a global crisis.
But Quigley believes the conflict has intensified.
“We have to stop thinking about the fact that, well, maybe if we’re subtle about it, Putin won’t see this as an escalation, right? He clearly thinks the sanctions were an escalation. We’ve closed the ruble, his actions. Market , its economy, the divestment that is taking place, “Quigley said. “Will the planes bother them more? Or is it just based on the fact that fists and javelins are killing his soldiers very effectively and the war isn’t going his way?”
In addition to a no-fly zone, Quigley said the U.S. should send more military aircraft to Ukraine, regardless of its origin. Earlier this week, the Pentagon rejected offers from Poland to MiG-19 jet transfer to the American forces, which would later be handed over to the Ukrainian army. The Pentagon called the transfer proposal “unsustainable.”
“This is a humanitarian crisis at its core, and we need to do more,” Quigley said. “Our goal was to help Ukraine defend itself. So this is the time to do it.”
Quigley also said that a possible fake Russian flag event that could serve as a pretext for an attack with Russian biological or chemical weapons is not surprising, given that Russian President Vladimir Putin has used these weapons in the past.
“The best indicator of future activity is past activity. Obviously, invasion is a serious violation of international law. We imagine that once [Putin] “I went into Ukraine had suddenly followed the speed limit is ridiculous,” Quigley said. “I think that as he gets angrier, angrier and more frustrated with how things are going, these are very real threats, and again, that’s why we have to remember that this is not the problem in Ukraine, it’s a problem for the region, for Europe, and of course for the United States. “
Highlights
-
About the current crisis in Ukraine: “It’s obviously a tragic situation. Europe is at war, the United States is at war. I don’t know if we’re necessarily clear. But it’s clear that President Putin feels we’re at war with him and he’s fighting. All of NATO as a war for power, but that could change very quickly, so this is a very frightening situation, and this is our biggest foreign policy challenge in Europe since 1945. For those of us who have lived through most of The Cold War, many of the scenes we witness, which we could witness, are reminiscent of our childhood: nuclear fears, missiles in Cuba and Central America. they just don’t see the situation. “
-
Arguing for the no-fly zone over Ukraine: “I think we should stop thinking about the fact that, well, maybe if we’re subtle about it, Putin won’t see this as an escalation, right? He clearly thinks the sanctions were an escalation. We’ve closed the ruble. His stock market, his economy, the divestment that is taking place, he dramatically underestimated the determination and unity of the West, but he calls it an economic war, which is clearly a war … Will planes bother him more than Fists and javelins are killing his soldiers very effectively and the war is not going as he wants? The hospital is leveling up. It’s hard to say, “Well, let’s see if they come.
-
Air exclusion zone over Ukraine: “At a time when hospitals, a maternity hospital is flattened and refugee evacuation routes are blocked and war crimes are being committed, you know, we have to ask ourselves … ultimately, where do we draw the line ?? Where do we say, “Well, that’s different …” Clearly, airspace is important. Russian artillery is doing extraordinary damage. So, you know, what do they need? They need the continuation of the weapons that we “are already giving them. They need help in the air and that would probably include drones. And maybe they need missiles to shoot down Russian planes. All this is escalating. But can we let Putin be the only one to warm up? “
-
NATO and Ukraine: “Saying we would fight for every inch of NATO and risk what everyone says, ‘Well, Quigley, you’re risking an escalation into World War III,’ but we’re already making that decision when we say we would. in Poland or for Germany, because they are NATO, I would add that Ukraine has earned itself being treated as if it were a NATO member. , at least in spirit “.
-
Should the US send military planes to Ukraine? “I am, for the same reason that we are giving them javelins and fists. Putin will not make a distinction. He will see how we give them lethal help regardless … This is a humanitarian crisis as a whole. Basic, and we must do more … Our goal was to help Ukraine defend itself. So now is the time to do it. “
-
Putin and the potential use of chemical or biological weapons: “The best indicator of future activity is past activity. Obviously, invasion is a serious violation of international law. For us to imagine that once it arrived in Ukraine it had suddenly followed the speed limit is ridiculous … We are listening to this test. [Putin] has committed war crimes and atrocities in Syria, Chechnya … kidnapping, torture, murder, hostage-taking, looting, chemicals. So, I come up with ideas, and to see them flush it out, it’s really fun. “Ukraine, this is a problem for the region, for Europe and, of course, for the USA”
Executive Producer: Arden Farhi
Producers: Jamie Benson, Jacob Rosen, Sara Cook and Eleanor Watson
CBSN Production: Eric Soussanin
Show email: TakeoutPodcast@cbsnews.com
Twitter: @TakeoutPodcast
Instagram: @TakeoutPodcast
Facebook: Facebook.com/TakeoutPodcast
Add Comment