With the U.S. now sending Ukraine tanks and talks potentially bringing jets down the road, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates laments the slow roll under President Joe Biden that has helped Russia sustain its so-called "special military operation."
"I think the only thing I would've said is that a lot of this could've been done sooner," Gates told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday.
"And, you know, they're talking about it potentially being six months, a year, or more before the Abrams tanks get there."
The U.S. move on tanks spurred the Germans to commit their Leopard tanks, too, most importantly, according to Gates.
It keeps up the pressure on Russia and keeps the support flowing for Ukraine, something President Vladimir Putin is hoping to outlast, Gates added.
"I think there's still broad bipartisan support in the Congress for helping Ukraine," Gates said. "You know, when it comes to public opinion and so on, this is basically the responsibility of the president to educate people about why this is necessary. Why? Why must we confront Putin in Ukraine? So we don't end up confronting him somewhere where our own forces are directly involved."
Delays by Biden in making crucial decisions on lethal aid and weapons has allowed Putin to sustain his aggressions in Ukraine, former National Security Adviser John Bolton lamented on Newsmax's "Wake Up America" on Sunday.
Putin believes it is his "destiny" to recreate the Russian empire and he will keep pushing, Gates noted.
"Without Ukraine, there can be no Russian empire, so he is obsessed with retaking Ukraine," Gates said. "He will hang in there.
"He does believe that time is on his side, that support in the U.S., support in Europe and so on will fray. And he's doing what Russian armies have always done, and that is sending large numbers of relatively poorly equipped poorly trained conscripts to the front lines and in the belief that mass will overcome."
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