Finally, Roger Marshall takes Ukraine’s side. Zelenskyy has long needed GOP courage
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s stunning courage was on display again Wednesday.
The embattled leader requested more equipment to battle Russian aggression, a plea that should be answered as quickly and fully as possible. Wednesday, the Biden administration announced an additional $800 million in military aid for Ukraine.
“We’re going to do more in the days and weeks ahead,” President Joe Biden said, which is good news.
Zelensky’s plea for a no-fly zone over Ukraine is more problematic and potentially dangerous. Direct involvement in a shooting war with Russia could escalate, even unintentionally, into a crisis no one wants. We urge extreme caution before the U.S. takes such a step.
Wednesday, Sens. Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall of Kansas said they will travel to Poland and Germany to review our efforts in the conflict. As they do, Kansans should not forget the record of foot-shifting and foot-dragging from their elected representatives.
Wednesday, for example, Marshall attacked Biden for his response to the Russian invasion. “I do believe we can get MiG-29s, A-10s, more drones, and more anti-aircraft missiles, but President Biden has to step forward and start leading,” the junior senator said.
Funny how things change. On Feb. 3, Marshall posed a video calling on Europe to respond to the threat of a Russian invasion into Ukraine. The United States, Marshall said, had more important concerns.
“Is Europe willing to stand up and lead for once?” Marshall asked. “I remain much more concerned from a national security standpoint about the security of our southern border, about the rise of China, as well as technology theft and cybersecurity issues.”
Astonishingly, Marshall accused the U.S. of “wasting too much time on this Ukrainian issue.”
There was no mention of ex-President Donald Trump’s attempt to extort information from the Ukraine government, or his barely-concealed enthusiasm for dismantling NATO.
Marshall did discuss Biden’s “debacle” in Afghanistan, failing again to mention Trump’s decision to end the U.S. presence there.
The senator isn’t the only local official who downplayed the threat when it was convenient. “The Vice President and our nation’s ‘Border Czar’ is traveling across the globe to help secure Ukraine’s border when she can’t even secure our own border,” Rep. Jake LaTurner tweeted Feb. 18.
Today, of course, LaTurner is a hawk. “This morning, President Zelenskyy addressed Congress to update us on Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked and evil attack on innocent Ukrainians,” he said Wednesday. “I appreciate his leadership and willingness to stand up and fight for freedom.”
Forgive us for being skeptical of these last-minute conversions. For weeks, Republicans seemed more interested in attacking the White House than preventing Russian aggression. Now, as heartbreaking pictures fill our TV screens, they want to get tough on Putin.
Let’s be honest: Decision-making surrounding the Russian invasion has been complicated and deeply dangerous. A serious mistake might yield world-changing warfare. To date, the administration has done a good job of managing those problems — and resisting the invasion at the same time.
Further difficult decisions are likely. We should give the nation’s policy makers room to make those choices.
We continue to be inspired by the resistance of the Ukrainian people, and President Zelenskyy. Their courage is remarkable, and unshakable.
We wish our local representatives showed the same courage from time to time.
This story was originally published March 16, 2022 at 3:28 PM.