US Senator: World War III Will Cost More than Supporting Ukraine
US Republican Senator Pete Ricketts has stated that the United States and its allies must help Ukraine stop Russian President Vladimir Putin because otherwise, the United States will have to pay a much higher price.
As reported by Voice of America, Ricketts drew a comparison between Putin and Hitler, pointing out that the Kremlin leader has taken on the mantle of Peter the Great, is nostalgic for the Russian Empire, and employs arguments reminiscent of Hitler’s about "Germans living outside of Germany" when talking about the need to protect "Russians living outside of Russia".
"But if Putin is successful in Ukraine, and then he decides to invade the Baltic states, that's World War III, and then your son will be fighting in Europe," Ricketts said.
The senator emphasised that millions of victims of World War II could have been saved if the world had taken Hitler's words seriously from the beginning; therefore, the allied countries should now realise the reality of Putin's threats, Ricketts emphasised.
"That’s the message, I think, we need to get out to Americans, to say, "Hey, look, this is our best interest. Yes, we're helping out Ukraine, but this is to make sure that our boys and young women don't end up fighting in a war again in Europe. We're trying to avoid that," Ricketts concluded.
Earlier, James O'Brien, US Deputy Secretary of State, said that it is in the interests of the United States to help Ukraine, and stopping its support now would be an unfortunate decision.
The United States will continue to provide defence assistance packages to Ukraine under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) in the near term, but they will simply become smaller. At the same time, the Pentagon is calling on Congress to approve additional funding as soon as possible.
Earlier, John Kirby, Strategic Communications Coordinator for the White House National Security Council, said the United States has used up almost all of the funds approved by Congress to help Ukraine.
Read more: American Storm around Ukraine: Options for Future US Assistance.