The only thing an "autocratic thug" such as Russian President Vladimir Putin understands is strength, Sen. Joni Ernst told Newsmax on Tuesday.
Ernst, R-Iowa, added that the Biden administration has been too late when it comes to imposing sanctions on Putin and Russia over the increasing threat to Ukraine.
"Our administration, it's waffling," Ernst said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America," following reports that Putin had sent troops into two separatist regions in east Ukraine known as the Donbas. "They seemed very scared to put on sanctions, even though we see Russian troops moving into Ukraine again."
Ernst said it was "very important" that Germany on Tuesday took steps to stop the certification of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia, but "that should have been done months ago."
"We do have to be very strong," Ernst said. "We need to make sure that the safety of our American citizens in Ukraine is first and foremost, and we need to be providing as many resources as possible, which includes lethal aid to the Ukrainians as well as intelligence sharing."
Putin, in an address to Russia on Monday, recognized two breakaway regions of Ukraine as independent, after which Russian troops were sent into the location, and Ernst told Newsmax he won't stop there.
"What we heard from his speech yesterday is that President Putin is trying to rewrite Russian history and that includes taking back Ukraine and declaring that those regions of Ukraine are actually Russian territories," Ernst said. "We know that not to be true. We know that Ukraine is a sovereign nation. So again, we need to be providing as many resources as possible to push back against President Putin.
"We need to be shoring up our NATO allies and making sure that they have everything they need to stop any further incursions, whether that's in Ukraine or whether he continues to advance toward our NATO partners."
Americans, meanwhile, need to understand that insecurity in Europe affects everyday lives in the United States, she added.
President Joe Biden also needs to address the American public now about the latest news on Ukraine, rather than waiting until next week's State of the Union speech, Ernst said.
"He needs to explain to the American people why it's important that we stand up and support other democracies," Ernst said. "We can do that again by providing the resources necessary, the lethal aid. We need to ramp up American energy production, making sure that we are self-sufficient and able to export that to our European partners. This is going to get very ugly, very fast, and the American president needs to show strength, which he has not done so far."
Biden's lack of strength, she added, is why Putin is "taking advantage" of Ukraine, its president, and NATO.
"[Biden] was there when Crimea was annexed in 2014," Ernst said. "He did not want us to go ahead with the raid that ultimately took out Osama bin Laden in 2011 Joe. Biden has telegraphed weakness for a long time, and I think Vladimir Putin might be taking full advantage of that."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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