• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Law/Justice
  • Celebrities
  • Republicans
  • Madonna
  • Books
  • Men
  • Trans Rights
  • Royals
  • Monkeypox
  • Jennifer Coolidge reveals ‘terrible mistake’ she made early on in her career
  • Britney Spears Goes to Gym in Silk Dress and Heels With ‘Hot, Crazy Husband’ Sam Asghari
  • Study finds the political impact of marriage varies by sexual identity

Republicans target Biden for blame over Putin’s Ukraine invasion

Towleroad February 24, 2022 Leave a Comment

Published by
Reuters
497079 origin 1

By David Morgan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine brought no pause to partisan squabbling in the U.S. Congress on Thursday, as some Republicans blasted Democratic President Joe Biden’s handling of the crisis and called on him to “change course” in his response.

Some Republicans in the Senate and House of Representatives blamed Biden for failing to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from sending forces into Ukraine and called on the U.S. president to take a stronger position on the largest conflict in Europe since World War Two.

“There’s no doubt that weakness leads to war,” Representative Brian Mast, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a Thursday morning tweet. “Putin once said the collapse of the Soviet empire was the ‘greatest geopolitical catastrophe’ of the past century for Russia. For America, President Biden may be the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of this century.”

The invasion of Ukraine followed months of Russian military buildup along the country’s borders, leading to frantic diplomacy and sanctions from the United States and NATO that failed to prevent the incursion. Biden plans an address to the nation at 12:30 p.m. EST (1730 GMT).

“Almost 12 hours since Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine and the only response we’ve gotten from Biden is a Zoom call. Where’s Biden? He’s the leader of the free world. It’s time to start acting like it,” Representative Carlos Gimenez wrote on Twitter.

Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as the invasion began late on Wednesday, convened his National Security Council on Thursday, and met with his counterparts from the Group of Seven allies to map out more severe responses.

“The president must change course or our deterrent posture will continue to collapse, chaos will continue to spread and eventually no one will trust America’s promises or fear America’s power,” said Representative Mike Gallagher, a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Former President Donald Trump — who even out of office remains the most powerful voice in the Republican Party — had threatened during his four years in office to leave NATO, calling the military alliance “obsolete.” He withdrew the United States from international agreements — including the Paris Climate Accord, which it has since rejoined — and pulled out of a pact in which Iran had curbed its uranium enrichment program, a possible pathway to nuclear arms, which is now being renegotiated.

Trump, who has expressed admiration for Putin, described the Russian leader’s actions leading up to invasion as “genius,” “smart” and “pretty savvy.”

ELECTIONS LOOMING

The response among congressional Republicans — blaming Biden, calling for stronger sanctions and warning against any use of U.S. troops in Ukraine — largely mirrored the sentiments of Republican voters, as lawmakers approach the Nov. 8 midterm elections that will determine the balance of power in Congress ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Only 34% of Americans — including just 12% of Republicans — approved of the way Biden was handling the crisis in the run-up to the invasion, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted Tuesday and Wednesday.

Twenty-five percent of Republicans polled said Biden was primarily to blame for the conflict, with 46% saying Putin was primarily to blame. Nearly one in five was unsure who to blame.

Senator Mitt Romney, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a moderate voice in his party, offered broader criticism that also blamed U.S. responses to Russia by former Presidents Barack Obama and Trump while evoking the Reagan era’s tough posture against the former Soviet Union.

“Putin’s impunity predictably follows our tepid response to his previous horrors in Georgia and Crimea, our naive efforts at a one-sided ‘reset,’ and the shortsightedness of ‘America First.’ The ’80s called’ and we didn’t answer,” Romney said in a statement.

Senator Dan Sullivan, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, warned that Putin’s action had changed the global landscape for the Americans and their Western allies.

“We must wake up to the fact that this new era of authoritarian aggression will likely be with us for decades. We need to face it with strategic resolve and confidence,” the Alaska Republican said.

(Reporting by David Morgan, additional reporting by Jason Lange; Editing by Scott Malone and Jonathan Oatis)

Topics: Aaon, towleroad

  • Britney Spears Goes to Gym in Silk Dress and Heels With ‘Hot, Crazy Husband’ Sam Asghari

    Britney Spears Goes to Gym in Silk Dress and Heels With ‘Hot, Crazy Husband’ Sam Asghari

    Published by OK Magazine @britneyspears/instagram Britney Spears is trying something new! The princess of pop changed up her look while joining husband Sam Asghari in the gym, opting for a pink, silk dress with lace and …Read More »
  • Study finds the political impact of marriage varies by sexual identity

    Study finds the political impact of marriage varies by sexual identity

    Published by PsyPost New research indicates that marriage and political activism are intertwined, but the nature of this relationship differs based on sexual identities. Married heterosexual individuals tend to be less politically active, while sexual minorities, …Read More »
  • ‘It’s great!’ Elliot Page talks dating since coming out as trans

    ‘It’s great!’ Elliot Page talks dating since coming out as trans

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Elliot Page is having more fun dating since his transition. The 36-year-old star- who was previously married to Emma Portner from 2018 until 2021 – was born female and lived as …Read More »
  • Barstool Sports hits back amid backlash over online sportsbook’s support for Pride month

    Barstool Sports hits back amid backlash over online sportsbook’s support for Pride month

    Published by Raw Story Barstool Sports is facing backlash over its support for Pride month, and the sports betting blog is hitting back, The Daily Beast reports. Barstool Sports, which in 2020 launched the Barstool Sportsbook …Read More »
Previous Post: « Harvey Fierstein — Happy As Fiddler’s Bearded ‘Papa’ and as Hairspray’s ‘Edna’ — Says He ‘May Be Non-Binary… [but] It’s the term that bothers me.’
Next Post: Ukraine and Russia: What you need to know right now »

Primary Sidebar

Adjacent News

  • 14 organizations that support LGBTQ+ tech workers

    14 organizations that support LGBTQ+ tech workers

  • Indiana mayor orders city remove social media posts celebrating Pride: report

    Indiana mayor orders city remove social media posts celebrating Pride: report

  • ‘Grotesque scaremongering’: Nikki Haley decried for blaming teen suicidal ideation on trans kids

    ‘Grotesque scaremongering’: Nikki Haley decried for blaming teen suicidal ideation on trans kids

Good Trash: Going to Read It Somewhere, Y'know

  • Elliot Page Shockingly Admits He had Secret Relationship With Kate Mara While She was Dating Max Minghelia

    Elliot Page Shockingly Admits He had Secret Relationship With Kate Mara While She was Dating Max Minghelia

  • VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Mark Indelicato & Vincent Rodriguez Discuss Being Gay Role Models In ‘With Love’

    VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Mark Indelicato & Vincent Rodriguez Discuss Being Gay Role Models In ‘With Love’

  • Britney Spears ‘Already Toned’ Down Her Tell-All Book ‘a Few Times,’ Says Insider: Pop Star Is ‘Annoyed at All the Delays’

    Britney Spears ‘Already Toned’ Down Her Tell-All Book ‘a Few Times,’ Says Insider: Pop Star Is ‘Annoyed at All the Delays’

Partner Links

  • Man United Fan Goes Viral For 'The Quickest Humbling Ever'
  • And Then There Were 8
  • Tennis Tuesday: Norbert Gombos
  • Madonna Calls During Live Interview — This is How Tokischa Flexes!
  • “Leo DiCaprio is on vacation with 22-year-old model Meghan Roche” links

Most Recent

  • Jennifer Coolidge reveals ‘terrible mistake’ she made early on in her career

    Jennifer Coolidge reveals ‘terrible mistake’ she made early on in her career

  • Britney Spears Goes to Gym in Silk Dress and Heels With ‘Hot, Crazy Husband’ Sam Asghari

    Britney Spears Goes to Gym in Silk Dress and Heels With ‘Hot, Crazy Husband’ Sam Asghari

  • Study finds the political impact of marriage varies by sexual identity

    Study finds the political impact of marriage varies by sexual identity

  • ‘It’s great!’ Elliot Page talks dating since coming out as trans

    ‘It’s great!’ Elliot Page talks dating since coming out as trans

  • Barstool Sports hits back amid backlash over online sportsbook’s support for Pride month

    Barstool Sports hits back amid backlash over online sportsbook’s support for Pride month

  • Kelly Clarkson Looks Stunning in Pride-Themed, Makeup Free Video

    Kelly Clarkson Looks Stunning in Pride-Themed, Makeup Free Video

  • Andy Cohen Thanks Former Governor Andrew Cuomo for Having Daughter Lucy be ‘One of the First’ Gestational Surrogacies in New York

    Andy Cohen Thanks Former Governor Andrew Cuomo for Having Daughter Lucy be ‘One of the First’ Gestational Surrogacies in New York

  • Honor the past and celebrate the present with PRIDE | Opinion

    Honor the past and celebrate the present with PRIDE | Opinion

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd

Footer

Copyright © 2023 · Log in

×