Follow us on social

Signal-2022-06-15-131044_001

Smith bucks Biden, says Ukraine needs long-range missiles and killer drones

The congressman, who also accused Russia of “genocide,” said anything else would be “buying into Putin’s rhetoric” about potential escalation.

Europe

Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) has called for the U.S. to send long-range missiles and armed drones to Ukraine, accusing the Biden Administration of caving to Vladimir Putin’s warning that the West should not send weapons capable of hitting targets in Russia.

“I don't agree with the President on the notion that we shouldn't give them long range strike missiles, because I think he's sort of buying into Putin's rhetoric here,” Smith, who chairs the House Armed Forces Committee, said at the Center for a New American Security’s annual foreign policy conference today. 

“Every single piece of artillery we send them is capable of striking Russia, because Ukraine's like right on the border with Russia,” he continued. “The longer range stuff is not about going into Russia, it's about giving you the ability to have a more standoff capability to hit the Russians who are in Ukraine.”

The remarks suggest a rift between Smith and President Joe Biden on the issue. They also coincided with the announcement of another reported $1 billion weapons sale to Ukraine. The package is expected to include anti-ship missiles, which Kelley Vlahos of Responsible Statecraft warned back in May could increase the “odds of a wider war dragging NATO into the fray, and worse, nuclear conflict.”

Some analysts see Smith’s approach as risky, both for Ukraine and the world. “Sending advanced missile systems with a range long enough to threaten the Russian state could not only prolong the war and cause more suffering for Ukrainians [but also] put Ukraine in a weaker position at the negotiating table,” wrote Ted Snider in a recent column for Responsible Statecraft.

Smith, who said Russia is “engaged in genocide” in parts of Ukraine and seeks to “enslave” the country, also pushed aside concerns that greater U.S. involvement there could lead to nuclear escalation. 

“Putin has drawn like 12 different red lines already that we’ve crossed, and he hasn’t done anything because he knows, if he does anything to bring NATO in, he’s done,” he said. “There’s no way he wins if we come in, so I think we’re giving him too much ability to stare us down when we have a more than adequate deterrent, and we have more that we could be doing.”

Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) speaking at Wednesday's CNAS event. Via screengrab cnas.org
Europe
Alarming lack of detail in military's Gaza aid project

U.S. Army Soldier from the 331st Transportation Company, 11th Trans. Battalion, 7th Trans. Brigade (Expeditionary) walks down the causeway pier before while anchors are being laid out on deck, March 09, 2020.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Travis Teate)

Alarming lack of detail in military's Gaza aid project

QiOSK

There is no way that the floating causeway the U.S. military wants to build connecting to the beach at Gaza won’t require “boots on the ground” say experts, putting another major question mark on the humanitarian surge project announced by the administration last week.

Details have emerged in recent days that the Pentagon plans to build a floating “trident” style causeway out of modular pieces that are en route from Ft. Eustis, Virginia, to Cyprus as we speak.

keep readingShow less
Diplomacy Watch: The pope is (mostly) right about Ukraine
Diplomacy Watch: A peace summit without Russia

Diplomacy Watch: The pope is (mostly) right about Ukraine

QiOSK

Pope Francis drew sharp backlash this week for a comment calling on Ukraine to demonstrate “the courage of the white flag” and enter into negotiations with Russia.

“When you see that you are defeated, that things are not going well, you have to have the courage to negotiate,” the pope said in an interview recorded last month but only publicized this week.

keep readingShow less
House passes bill that could ban TikTok

Rep. Thomas Massie speaks on House floor before vote. (Photo: C-SPAN)

House passes bill that could ban TikTok

QiOSK

The House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday that could lead to the banning of video sharing platform TikTok. The legislation, which passed by a vote of 352-65, would require the Chinese tech company ByteDance to divest its holdings in the social media platform, or see TikTok be banned from U.S. app stores.

The bill was widely expected to pass after it made its way through a House Committee on Energy and Commerce committee markup by a unanimous 50-0 vote last week. But opposition to the legislation gained some steam in recent days, with lawmakers spanning the political spectrum expressing concerns over the rushed process, possible first amendment violations, and privacy.

keep readingShow less

Israel-Gaza Crisis

Latest