Column: Ukraine’s fight benefits U.S. national security. The House GOP is on the wrong side
LA TimesWe are entering the 12th month of a “special military operation” that was supposed to be over in well under 12 days. For instance, going into the midterms, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, now the House speaker, settled on the talking point that Republicans wouldn’t give Ukraine a “blank check” the way Democrats had. “Funds for military support are not wired to Ukrainian government bank accounts.” We send Ukraine weapons — including, eventually, Abrams tanks — and other equipment and that money goes toward replenishing our stockpiles. Indeed, the only thing that garners bipartisan support regarding Ukraine is that we shouldn’t get into a direct war with Russia and therefore NATO shouldn’t do anything that “provokes” Putin. Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev recently declared, “The events in Ukraine are not a clash between Moscow and Kyiv — this is a military confrontation between Russia and NATO.” Moscow is “not dealing with Ukraine — we’re past that,” prime-time Russian TV host Vladimir Solovyov announced last October.