California Democrats praise Biden’s Ukraine policy. GOP congressmen say he’s weak

The United States “should do exactly what it is doing” to help the people of Ukraine fight the Russian invasion, says Rep. John Garamendi.

And, adds Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, President Joe Biden “tried, with our allies, everything possible to prevent this war from taking place.”

Republicans don’t agree. Many are saying Biden didn’t do enough to help prevent Soviet President Vladimir Putin from attacking Ukraine. They point to the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in August as helping prod Putin to be more aggressive.

“I believe the weakness President Biden displayed in our disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan contributed to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine,” said Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona.

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, thought more could have been done to help Ukraine before the invasion.

“We could have supplied the weapons to Ukraine. They are not asking for American troops. They are just asking for the ability to fight,” he told “Fox and Friends” Tuesday. “We could have been the individuals that could have deterred this from ever happening.”

Democrats and Ukraine

Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove, and Costa discussed the invasion with The Bee after visiting NATO headquarters in Brussels last week.

They were part of a bipartisan congressional delegation that spoke with Secretary General Jans Stoltenberg and members of the 269-member NATO Parliamentary Assembly. The 19 member United States delegation includes Garamendi, Costa and Reps. Ami Bera, D-Sacramento, Sara Jacobs, D-San Diego and Linda Sanchez, D-Cerritos.

The assembly advises NATO on its nations’ views.

In Washington, Garamendi is chairman of the House’s military readiness subcommittee. Despite his praise for the United States’ effort, he would not characterize how the war is going.

“My feelings are that the Ukrainians are fighting every way possible for their country to remain an independent democracy and I am pleased that the U.S., NATO, the European Union and most every country in the world are taking important steps to assist the Ukrainians,” he said.

But is the alliance’s strategy working?

“Given the circumstances, that the largest army in Europe has invaded, the Ukrainians are conducting themselves admirably,” he said.

Garamendi’s view is largely shared by Costa, a member of the House subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, Energy and the Environment.

“We’re very concerned about the people of Ukraine. We’re concerned about the ripple effect that it’s going to have on the global economy. But they understand that this is about good and evil,” Costa said.

“They understand that ‘the pariah,’ Putin, has broken all the norms of international law, and therefore he should ultimately be tried as a war criminal.”

The Biden debate

Biden, Costa said, “tried, with our allies, everything possible to prevent this war from taking place.”

While congressional Republicans criticized the invasion, they also blamed Biden for not being tough enough in the past with Russia.

Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Oroville, said that while he supported the sanctions Biden imposed, he wished they had come sooner.

When the invasion began last week, LaMalfa said, “The sanctions implemented by President Biden earlier this week were not nearly strong enough to warn Putin off from an invasion.”

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-San Marcos, agreed. “Biden’s sanctions against Putin are too little too late and not intended to stop this terrible dictator,” he tweeted Sunday.

Garamendi sees the U.S. effort in Ukraine as having three pieces: Diplomacy, sanctions and military and economic aid.

The White House last week asked Congress to approve a $6.4 billion package of economic and military aid to Ukraine.

Prior to the invasion, Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove, suggested that the conflict could have been avoided if western countries had said Ukraine could not join NATO.

“The easiest way to defuse the situation is to simply declare that Ukraine is not going to become a part of NATO,” McClintock said. “That is the crux of the situation, so take it off the table.” Russian leader Vladimir Putin has regarded NATO as a threat to his country’s security and has insisted Ukraine not join NATO.

Garamendi replied that McClintock “obviously did not either read or understand what Putin was demanding. We’ve learned if you give Putin an inch he will take a mile.”

Ukraine should become part of NATO, Garamendi said, though not until the war ends and as long as Ukraine remains an independent nation.

In the meantime, Costa liked what he saw in Brussels. “”After years of going to these NATO meetings, I’ve never seen it so unified,” he said.

This story was originally published March 2, 2022 at 1:16 PM.