Speaking on Fox News Sunday, the California Republican claimed that President Joe Biden’s administration failed to provide Kyiv with enough weapons to stave off initial attacks.
“This is going to get stronger and rougher and what really needs to happen is, Ukraine is not asking for American men and women to fight, all they’re asking for is the weapons to defend themselves,” McCarthy said. “If we would have taken those actions earlier instead of waiting till after Russia invaded, they probably never would’ve invaded had we done that sooner.”
McCarthy later claimed that sending weapons to Ukraine’s military sooner could have helped to save “thousands of lives.” He also criticized Biden’s decision to reject Poland’s proposal to transfer MiG-29 fighter jets to a U.S. air base in Germany in order to provide further assistance to Ukrainian troops.
“Ukraine was craving the ability to defend themselves. Had we moved the weapons to Ukraine earlier, that they could defend themselves, it would have saved thousands of lives and probably the decision of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin not to enter,” McCarthy said.
The Biden administration has provided Ukraine with over $3.2 billion in security assistance since the start of the war in late February, according to The Hill. That aid includes anti-tank weapons, drones, small arms, ammunition and defense equipment. On Wednesday, the White House authorized another $800 million aid package for Ukraine as the nation prepares to combat a Russian advance in the eastern Donbas region.
“The Ukrainian military has used the weapons we are providing to devastating effect. As Russia prepares to intensify its attack in the Donbas region, the United States will continue to provide Ukraine with the capabilities to defend itself,” the White House said in a statement announcing the aid package.
The latest weapons package reportedly includes 11 Mi-17 helicopters, 18 155mm Howitzers, counter-artillery radars and 200 armored personnel carriers. It will also include 30,000 sets of body armor and helmets and medical equipment, as well as chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear protective equipment, according to reporters who cited the Pentagon.
The war in Ukraine has been ongoing for nearly two months. So far, Russian troops have been met with fierce Ukrainian resistance and have failed to capture any major city. However, Russia has re-strategized its mission and is now focusing efforts on advancing in Donbas, a highly disputed region of Ukraine that Moscow views as independent.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview published Sunday that if Russian forces take over Donbas, it would “influence the course of the whole war” and pose a new threat to Kyiv.
Newsweek contacted the White House for additional comment.
