McCaul on State of the Union: Biden Comment on Russian Regime Change ‘Provocative’
Washington, D.C.– House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead Republican Michael McCaul joined Dana Bash on State of the Union to discuss the administration’s approach to addressing Russian aggression in Ukraine, China’s role in the conflict, and the Taliban’s decision to refuse education to women and girls past sixth grade.
On the recent NATO Summit:
“I don’t believe there are any [significant] deliverables that came out of this NATO summit. And that’s my highest criticism. What Ukraine needs right now – and I talked to the [Ukrainian] Ambassador right before the show – are these S-300 anti-aircraft missiles… I thought that, by the end of this trip, they would announce [they found a solution to send] in all these S-300s into Ukraine to help them fight the good fight… This is like David and Goliath… We need to give David the slingshot and the slingshot is the S-300. And that’s what we’re not giving them right now.”
On Biden’s comment about regime change in Russia:
“That’s not the policy of the United States here. The policy of the United States is to defeat the Russians in Ukraine. And I know it was off the cuff. But whatever the president says is – it carries a lot of weight. When he said minor incursion, that carried a lot of weight. And, in this case, it sends a very provocative message to Mr. Putin. If we’re so worried about provoking him that we couldn’t even send MiGs into Ukraine, how is this any different? In fact, I would say it’s more provocative than sending MiGs into Ukraine.”
On Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping, saying China would play a constructive role in brokering peace:
“I don’t trust them. They’re built on deception… The next shoe that could drop would be Taiwan. [Xi] is watching what is happening in Ukraine right now in terms of, ‘what is my calculus, what’s going to be my next move in terms of Taiwan?’ We cannot make the mistake we have made in Ukraine and wait until after invasion to arm them. We need to start arming Taiwan right now.”
On the Taliban refusing education to women and girls after sixth grade following the withdrawal of U.S. troops:
“It’s one of the saddest things I have had to witness. I think it’s the ultimate betrayal, the way we left Americans behind enemy lines, Afghan partners behind enemy lines. They are being executed by the Taliban right now.”
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