The Biden administration is "about six or eight months late" with its reaction to Russia's threats to Ukraine, and the "very last thing" President Joe Biden should do is send up to 5,000 U.S. troops into Eastern Europe, Rep. Jerry Carl said on Newsmax Monday.
"This is not something that's just started in the last two weeks, three weeks," the Alabama Republican said on Newsmax's "National Report." He added, "This is something we were fully aware of months ago."
Carl also said he has a problem with the United States' allies in Europe who want the Biden administration to come in and assist them, but they don't want to do enough to help with the costs involved in defending NATO member states from Russia.
"Germany's a great example," Carl said. "They haven't paid their bills with NATO. Let's get them back to the table. I mean, if we're going to go over there and defend these countries, there's got to be some sweat equity from these countries that we're trying to defend."
Biden also made a mistake in leaving military equipment behind in Afghanistan rather than pulling it out and sending it to the NATO nations, "but the president doesn't think that far ahead; his administration doesn't think that far ahead," said Carl. "Now we're in a situation where we're on a timeline that we've known about. Don't think it's just something's just come up."
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned the Kremlin over the weekend of a "swift, severe, and united response" from the United States and Europe should Russian forces enter Ukraine.
Carl said he does think Russian President Vladimir Putin could be making the threats in order to get something more from the United States in concessions.
"We don't know what he's going to ask for," said Carl. "It will be a last-minute deal; we'll put together and we'll give away some oil fields or some rights to something."
The United States also "messed up" when it allowed Russia to build the Nord Stream 2 pipeline into Germany, said Carl.
"I think the Germans hold the card right now," he said. "The Germans need to step up and say We don't want your pipeline. We'll take natural gas from America. We don't want your pipeline because of the way you're treating the rest of the Western Hemisphere."
Carl added that he thinks Russia is ultimately after seaports on the Black Sea, and "my guess, just thinking out loud, you know, more than I know, but I think that you're probably going to see the president kind of give way some of that."
However, the Biden administration so far has shown "zero ability to enforce anything," said Carl. "I don't know why Putin would be fearful of it now."
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