The minority leader of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Joined the “Sunday Morning Futures” from Poland, where he spoke with refugees who escaped the war in Ukraine, noting the “atrocities” in the country in the middle of the Russian invasion and the “absolute power of the Ukrainian people.” In an exclusive interview, the GOP leader accused President Biden of acting “too late” in Ukraine. “If Biden had sent a gun earlier, maybe [Russian President Vladimir] “Putin would not have made the decision to enter Ukraine,” McCarthy said on Sunday. “If Biden had said he would impose sanctions before they came in, Putin might not have entered.” “But now that the war has broken out and you have other countries willing to supply MiGs to Ukraine to defend themselves in their own air,” he continued. “[Ukraine is] They do not ask American men and women to fight, all they ask is to have weapons to defend themselves from an attacker who enters and kills women and children, innocent people, and there really must be consequences for Russia’s action. . “ He emphasized that the decision was not a signal of a formal antitrust inquiry into Ukraine. The United States and NATO pledged on Thursday to step up support for Ukraine amid growing concerns that Russia would launch a major offensive in Ukraine’s eastern Donbass region, but officials did not know what weapons they would send to Kyiv. As an organization, NATO refuses to send troops or weapons to Ukraine or impose a no-fly zone over it to prevent the transatlantic group from engaging in a wider war with nuclear-armed Russia. However, individual NATO countries have provided some weapons to Ukraine, as well as equipment and medical supplies. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California has accused President Biden of acting “too late” in Ukraine. (Photo by Drew Angerer | JIM WATSON / AFP Getty Images) NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg declined to say which countries were boosting supplies or what exactly they could send to Ukraine, but said: equipment. . “ Washington has provided more than $ 1.7 billion in aid since the invasion began in February and more than $ 2.4 billion since January 2021. A White House spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, Foreign Minister Anthony Blinken said last week that “degrading images and accounts from Bukha and other parts of Ukraine” reinforced the West’s determination to punish Russia and step up support for Ukraine. Blinken said the United States “generally sees at the moment not only what we provide, and what we continue to provide, but whether there are additional systems that could make a difference.” McCarthy stressed on Sunday that Ukraine needs weapons “in advance and this is a lesson we need to learn in the long run.” RUSSIA-UKRAINE: LIVE UPDATES “Remember, before the sanctions, the president said that just the threat of sanctions would stop Putin, and then when Putin enters Ukraine, then the president says the sanctions will take a long time to work,” he told Bartiromo. . President Biden suggested late last month that the sanctions were not intended to deter Putin’s actions, telling reporters now that “sanctions never prevent them.” “Sir, the deterrent did not work. What makes you believe that Vladimir Putin will change course based on what you did today?” Biden was asked by CBS reporter Christina Ruffini during a press conference at a NATO summit. in Brussels, Belgium. “Let me clarify something. Remember if you covered me from the beginning, I did not say that, in fact, sanctions will prevent him. Sanctions never discourage. You keep talking about it. Sanctions never prevent,” Biden replied. Biden’s comments came after weeks of messages from key Biden government officials – including Vice President Kamala Harris and Foreign Minister Anthony Blinken – who said the sanctions imposed on Russia were intended to deter Russia. On Sunday, McCarthy stressed that “the number one thing that works is a country capable of defending itself.” He went on to say that the United States must “look to the future” and learn how America can “make sure we do not make this mistake again.” McCarthy also argued that the Biden government “should supply Taiwan with weapons to defend itself so that China has no idea how to enter Taiwan.” “This is a lesson to be learned,” said McCarthy, who heads a congressional delegation to Eastern Europe. NATO EXPECTS “GREAT ATTACK” FROM PUTIN EASTERN UKRAINE, ALLIANCE PREPARES FOR “LONG MISSIONS” WAR “Anyone who can see the refugees here, the millions of refugees from adults to young people, sleeping on the floors with Poland opening their homes and others, do not want to leave Ukraine. They want to defend Ukraine.” he continued. , speaking from Warsaw. “They did nothing wrong. And Putin has come in and is now killing innocent women and children in a atrocity we have not seen in decades since World War II.” CLICK HERE TO RECEIVE THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION “And there really must be consequences for the actions that Russia has taken in this situation and the people must unite around it,” he said. European Union member states, such as Poland and Romania, Ukraine’s two neighbors, have received the most refugees. Of the more than 4 million refugees who have fled Ukraine, more than 2.4 million have moved to Poland. While many have traveled throughout Europe, many refugees have stayed in Poland, which offers free temporary accommodation, medical care, education and some social benefits. Caitlin McFall, Kyle Morris and the Associated Press of Fox News contributed to this report.
