While President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin might have been discussing diplomacy during their lengthy video meeting Tuesday, what Ukraine needs is for Russia to pull back the tens of thousands of troops it has amassed on its border, Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., told Newsmax.
"They came out of this meeting talking about diplomacy," Meuser told Tuesday's "American Agenda." "Diplomacy? Ukraine doesn't need diplomacy. What they want is for Russia to back off."
Meanwhile, the Biden administration has a lot of work to do to get Russia to back away from Ukraine, and that will involve the assistance of allies like Germany and Italy to make sure Russia understands there will be serious consequences if its troops enter Ukraine.
Biden also has a checkered past when it comes to Ukraine, because he was then-President Barack Obama's vice president when Russia invaded Georgia.
There is also the matter of the involvement of Biden and his son Hunter in Ukraine in connection with the younger Biden's work with the Burisma energy holdings.
"We're working against a weak opponent with Russia, but we're digging ourselves into a hole," Meuser said.
The Biden administration's weakness was also exposed with the failures in the withdrawal from Afghanistan, Meuser said.
"We showed significant weakness and now the world is taking advantage of that," Meuser said. "This is serious stuff. The Biden administration needs to get more engaged here and with other parts of the world."
Meuser, however, said there are many reasons why Russia might be interested in Ukraine, including Putin wanting the country's natural resources.
"Ukraine has been a sovereign nation now for 30 years, so we have a lot of say in this and so do other countries throughout Europe," Meuser said. "We need to together stand firm and let them know what the consequences are going to be and be prepared to see those through."
He stressed his words do not mean he thinks war should be waged, but Russia "should understand there will be serious ramifications and a worldwide reaction" if it moves into Ukraine.
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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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