I received a briefing this morning from @DeptofDefense on the situation in Ukraine and, without going into the classified details, I’ll just say this: it was disturbing. 1/6
Despite the fact that Putin has fabricated this entire crisis, the world is watching the U.S. response. If Russia can just invade, without significant costs, what does that say longterm to China or any other aggressor who may test Washington’s mettle? 2/6
No one wants war with Russia. But there have to be serious consequences if one nation plans to invade another. The costs must include stinging sanctions against Putin and his closest cronies, but that’s not enough. 3/6
We need to support the Ukrainian people’s fight against Russian forces and enable them to impose military costs, while ensuring we can resupply the Ukrainians in the event of a conflict. 4/6
I have no beef with the Russian people, but if their leader is going to precipitate unprovoked aggression and invade a neighbor, they should feel the pinch as well. 5/6
The Russian oligarchs that support Putin shouldn’t be able to spend their weekends shopping in Monaco and Paris — and the Administration should go further and signal our preparedness to impose costs that cut deeper into the bone to deter invasion. 6/6
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