Former Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday called on members of Congress to help push for more funding to Ukraine, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin could target NATO members if Russia wins the war with Kiev. I predicted that it would.
Pence: “My meeting with Vladimir Putin has shown me that if President Putin is allowed to take control of Ukraine, it won’t be long before our men and women in uniform cross the borders of NATO countries where we need to fight.” I have no doubts about that,” he said in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Thursday.
He said this would bring U.S. forces into the conflict under Article 5, which states that an attack on a NATO member state in Europe or North America “will be considered an attack against all.”
The House faces growing pressure to pass additional funding for Ukraine as divisions among lawmakers hold up aid to the country.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) is moving forward with a series of foreign aid bills that include funding for Ukraine, Israel, Indo-Pacific allies and other national security priorities. Voting on individual parts of the package is expected to take place by the end of this week.
Some members of the House of Representatives on the right have already expressed opposition to the bill, arguing that the money should be earmarked for U.S. and southern border security provisions.
“I want to say to my colleagues on Capitol Hill, to my old friends, it’s time for America to stand together and recognize that we are the leaders of the free world,” Pence said Thursday. ” he said.
“And we need to step into this moment and send a deafening message: We renew our support not just for Russia and Vladimir Putin… but for our valued ally Israel, and we stand by Tawain. And frankly, we need to send a very clear message to the mullahs in Tehran, telling President Xi Jinping in Beijing that the United States will stand firm for freedom.”
Mr. Pence praised Mr. Johnson for pushing for foreign aid despite threats of expulsion from some right-wing members of the conference.
“And I think what the American people are witnessing here is nothing short of moral courage. Speaker Mike Johnson is determined to do what he believes is right and leave the consequences to the American people at this point. Determined. And I commend him for that,” he said.
Pence, then a Republican presidential candidate, made a surprise visit to the Eastern European country last June and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He has repeatedly backed Ukraine, in contrast to his former boss and potential 2024 Republican nominee Trump, who has claimed he would end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours if elected president. I have expressed it.
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