In an interview with American talk-show host Hugh Hewitt, United States Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) urged the Biden administration to ramp up arms shipments to Ukraine. The senator called for a full-theater approach, which would include land-to-sea cruise missiles in defense against the Russian navy.
Senator Sasse also accused Germany of obstructing NATO efforts to ship military equipment to Ukraine:
The problem we face now is that the [Biden] administration is so many months late to this conversation, that you have Germany essentially working on behalf of the Russians to block different systems and weapons.
Referring to Germany’s refusal to let British aircraft fly military supplies through German air space, Hewitt asked Senator Sasse if Germany “effectively” had left NATO. The Senator replied affirmatively, suggesting that the German government had returned to a pre-NATO situation.
Discussing possible sanctions against Russia for military incursions into Ukraine, Hewitt brought up the possibility of taking Russia out of the global SWIFT bank payment system. Previously discussed by the United States and its EU allies, this idea was dropped in December due to disagreements on the European side.
In response to Hewitt’s question, Senator Sasse expressed interest in a Russian SWIFT removal, but emphasized that it would have to be part of a coherent strategy from the Biden administration.
The senator is not alone in raising questions about President Biden’s Ukraine strategy. The president’s recent press conference, where he explained that “minor incursions” by Russia into Ukraine would not invoke heavy punishment, raised questions about the U.S. approach to the conflict. In response, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky tweeted that “there are no minor incursions and small nations.”
