Putin Wants It All. NATO Stands in His Way
WASHINGTON -- During an interview with Tucker Carlson, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he has no interest in expanding the war in Ukraine to Poland and Latvia.
So with former Polish President Lech Walesa speaking at a Friday event put on by the Victims of Communism Museum, I had a chance to get the Polish game-changer's view of Putin's designs.
What did Walesa make of Putin's remark to Carlson?
"But he would like to invade the United States," Walesa wryly responded. "That is why I am telling you, be careful."
It was a savvy warning for Americans who have felt invulnerable since the Cold War ended and buy into former President Donald Trump's apparent belief that Putin can invade Eastern European countries without affecting us.
The good news: Days after Walesa's visit to Washington, 22 GOP senators joined most Senate Democrats to vote in favor of a $95 billion foreign aid bill that included $60 billion for Ukraine.
What is a life-or-death issue for many Eastern Europeans now serves as an opportunity for the former commander in chief to win the news cycle.
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden urged House Republicans to pass the bipartisan measure quickly as he dismissed attempts to block passage as "dumb, shameful, dangerous" and "un-American." Biden sounded like Walesa when he argued, "If we don't stop Putin's appetite for power and control of Ukraine, he won't limit himself just to Ukraine."
For years now, Trump has shown himself to be more hostile toward NATO than Putin.
In 2017, during a dedication ceremony to a 9/11 memorial in Brussels, Trump failed to embrace Article 5, which represents the alliance's one-for-all and all-for-one mission. I was there, and, like most observers, taken aback.
...continued
Copyright 2024 Creators Syndicate, Inc.
