Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Tuesday that attempts to isolate Moscow would fail, citing the success of the Soviet space program as evidence that Russia could accomplish great things in tough conditions.
“The sanctions were total, the isolation was complete but the Soviet Union was still first in space,” Putin said, according to Russian state television. “We don’t intend to be isolated. It is impossible to severely isolate anyone in the modern world – especially such a vast country as Russia.”
Putin reaffirmed his claim that the Russian “special military operation” was aimed to protect people in areas in eastern Ukraine controlled by Moscow-backed rebels.
He also said that the campaign was also aimed to “ensure Russia’s own security.”
“Its goals are absolutely clear and noble,” Putin said. “It’s clear that we didn’t have a choice. It was the right decision.”
Putin’s remarks came from the Vostochny space launch facility and marked his first known trip outside Moscow since Russia launched action in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday his forces still are not getting all that they need from supporting allies to “end the war sooner” as Kyiv braces for an eastward campaign from Russia.
“Our armed forces are beating the occupiers with wisdom and well-thought-out tactics,” Zelenskyy said in an address to the nation. “But when it comes to the necessary weapons, we still depend on the supply, on our partners.
“Unfortunately, we are not getting as much as we need to end this war sooner,” he added.
U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz continued his call for President Joe Biden to do more for Ukraine.
On Friday, Waltz, a St. Augustine Republican and the first Green Beret elected to Congress, argued Biden should ramp up military aid, including providing the “damn MiGs” that Zelenskyy has been requesting.
Ukraine, he wrote in an op-ed for Fox News, “has shocked the world with a valiant defense of its country,” adding that the pesky Ukrainian military has defied expectations in Moscow and Washington by bringing “the Russian military to a standstill across the country.”
“We’ve helped the Ukrainians defend themselves against this invasion. It’s now time we help them go on offense to retake the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine,” wrote Waltz, referring to Crimea and Donbas.
He quoted President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who once noted “guns and tanks and planes are nothing unless there is a solid spirit, a solid heart, and great productiveness behind it.”
Said Waltz, “The Ukrainian people have shown spirit, heart, and productiveness. They now need all the guns, tanks, and planes capable to defeat Russia militarily.”
Waltz again complained about the Biden administration’s timidity in rejecting the idea of providing “offensive” arms to Ukraine because Russian President Vladimir Putin might see that as “escalatory.” Instead, such a stance only served to “invite further aggression for Putin.”
Biden needs to get over that notion, Waltz argued.
He maintained America should provide Ukraine with the capability to ramp up “cross-border missions.” “While the U.S. has belatedly provided much-needed arms, such as stingers and javelins to defend against Russian aircraft and tanks, now is the time to help them advance against (the) Russian military,” Waltz wrote.
The U.S., he added, needs to send Ukraine anti-ship missiles so it can defend its critical port city, Odesa. And Biden must allow aircraft to help keep Russia from controlling the sky.
“Send Ukraine the damn MiGs,” Waltz wrote. “Every day that passes without vital equipment, more civilians are dying.”
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