Sixth District Congressman Andy Barr says the protracted military campaign in Ukraine is a good thing. The Lexington GOP Representative said a quick and decisive victory by Russia in early 2022 would have meant future threats to other countries.
“I understand the American people wanting to prioritize what’s happening here at home as opposed to what seems to be very far away, but it matters. It matters to our national security for a variety of reasons. It matters to our energy security and our food security,” said Barr.
As the Russian-Ukrainian conflict continues with no resolution in sight, Barr said it’s quite different than the Vietnam War for instance. He said there are no U.S. boots on the ground, even though there have been significant U.S. dollars going to support Ukraine. And Barr added there’s, what he termed, “rigorous” oversight of those U.S. tax dollars.
Barr said a quick and decisive route by Russia could have resulted in a more aggressive strategy by Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
“It would have invited a further invasion into the Baltic or Poland. Now, that would have implicated our article five obligations to NATO. An attack on one is an attack on all. That’s World War III. That is U.S. boots on the ground,” said Barr.
Barr added preventing that type of scenario is worth the U.S. military investment in Ukraine. The GOP Representative said meetings this summer have included discussions about the importance of “burden-sharing” when it comes to other countries' financial support.
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