McCarthy Says Biden Should've Provided Military Aid to Ukraine Sooner

JUL 28 2022·Updated JUN 25 2024

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Image credit: Newsweek

The Facts

Had the US provided Ukraine with weapons sooner, Russia would "probably never" have invaded the nation, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said on Fox News Sunday.
Newsweek
"Ukraine was craving the ability to defend themselves," he said. "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 Putin not to enter."
Business Insider
The claim came as the latest batch of an $800M military aid package has arrived in Ukraine, the Pentagon confirmed on Mon. US Pres. Biden approved the spending on Apr. 14, bringing America's total expenditure to upwards of $2.6B since Russia's invasion on Feb. 24.
US News
In 2019, McCarthy was a staunch defender of then-president Donald Trump during his first impeachment proceedings. Trump faced allegations of holding back humanitarian aid from Ukraine while trying to pressure the country to investigate allegations of corruption related to Biden and his son, Hunter.
Yahoo! News

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The Spin

Republican narrative

McCarthy is right to speak out. Biden was too soft on Putin, and help came too little, too late. He should've taken a hawkish stance and sent Ukraine the weapons they needed before Putin invaded. With the right deterrence, this tragedy could've been avoided.

Daily Mail

Democratic narrative

McCarthy is hypocritical. In 2019 he fought hard to oppose Trump's impeachment for using military aid to blackmail Ukraine; and now he says Biden didn't do enough to arm Ukraine? Biden has committed over $1B in security assistance in the past year alone; more weapons clearly wouldn't have deterred Putin once his mind was set on war.

Rolling Stone