Rep. Reschenthaler to Newsmax: Congress Must Authorize No-Fly Zone for Ukraine

It's time for members of Congress to quit "virtue signaling" and pass an Authorization of Military Force agreement to "get a no-fly zone established immediately" over Ukraine, Rep. Guy Reschenthaler insisted Wednesday on Newsmax, before Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's impassioned address to members of Congress.

"I can tell you [in] Congress, it's not enough just to walk around with Ukrainian flag pins on your lapel," the Pennsylvania Republican said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "That's not enough. We should have an AUMF [Authorization for Use of Military Force] to get a new no-fly zone established immediately.

"We should be putting pressure through speaking out to make sure those MiG-29s [from Poland] get to the Ukrainians, and to make sure that we get the Ukrainians any more materials that they need."

It's time, he added, "that we actually put pen to paper and put something on [President Joe] Biden's desk, to speak up and to pressure the administration to take leadership and stop this invasion … I hope that we walk out of that speech and put pressure on this administration to stand up and show resolve and stop the weakness, stop the vacillation, and make sure that we don't allow Russia to overtake the free and independent nation of Ukraine."

Biden, however, has been "incredibly weak" and it is "amazing" to see that Zelenskyy has become the "de facto leader of the free world," the congressman also said.

"When the United States and Joe Biden decided to lead from behind, we don't lead at all," said Reschenthaler. "That acquiescence, that weakness leads to provocation from totalitarian regimes like Russia."

The congressman also predicted that Russia's invasion will lead to China invading Taiwan and to other aggressions occurring worldwide and that the United States and the West must become involved.

"Certainly it's encouraging the Iranians to fire missiles into Israel," Reschenthaler said. "I would like to see Joe Biden stand up and take more action."

He aded: "I can tell you this, that unless the United States, unless the West gets involved, unless we get that no-fly zone established, the Russians will eventually prevail. Their military is much larger, and it's a totalitarian regime.

"Putin has the ability to keep moving forward. It's really at this point about the resolve of the United States and our allies in Europe."

Reschenthaler also rejected arguments from Biden and others that creating a no-fly zone will create the potential of a World War III.

"We're already involved," he said. "We're already supplying the Ukrainians with support, and how much carnage are we going to allow to occur? How much? How do we need another 3 million refugees flooding into Poland and Romania and other places in central and eastern Europe? When is enough, enough?"

The congressman added that for him, the "red line" was crossed when Putin "crossed into Ukrainian territory to invade a free and independent democratic state. I wish Joe Biden would have a similar red line."

Without having a red line, "that invites the Russians to further escalate this conflict," said Reschenthaler. "If the United States and our allies in Europe would get involved, it would stop this invasion. It would allow the Ukrainians to launch a counteroffensive and regain control of their country entirely. It's America's weakness that has led to Putin's aggression."

Reschenthaler Wednesday also said he thinks Putin "grossly underestimated" Zelenskyy's will.

"I think he thought that he was going to roll in quickly," said Reschenthaler.

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