GOP Blocking Ukraine Aid Would Be 'Devastating': Former NATO Commander

As Ukraine prepares for a harsh winter, some GOP politicians are flirting with the idea of withholding aid to the country, which former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis said would be "devastating" if Republicans "turn off the taps."

During an appearance on MSNBC's The Sunday Show With Jonathan Capehart, Stavridis said, "I think that is highly unrealistic as I surveyed the House membership, there is still a very strong majority on the Republican side...who would continue to support reasonable levels of aid [to Ukraine]."

Stavridis added that he believes it will turn out OK, "but it requires all of us drawing a line under the courage, the determination, and what the Ukrainians are accomplishing. It would be disastrous to walk away from that now."

Before this month's midterm elections, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, vowed to continue providing Ukraine with aid after remarks made by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy raised doubts about future GOP support.

McCarthy, a California Republican, told Punchbowl News in October that Republicans will not write a "blank check" to Ukraine if they win back the House in November. In order to gain control of the House, a party needs to maintain 218 seats. The GOP managed to grab 220 seats in this year's midterm eking out a narrow victory.

"People are gonna be sitting in a recession and they're not going to write a blank check to Ukraine," McCarthy said. "They just won't do it..."

In a statement posted on his website, McConnell said, "The Biden Administration and our allies need to do more to supply the tools Ukraine needs to thwart Russian aggression. It is obvious this must include additional air defenses, long-range fires, and humanitarian and economic support to help this war-torn country endure the coming winter."

Other GOP politicians have also been critical of sending more aid to the Eastern European country. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia introduced a resolution last week to audit the money the Biden administration has sent to Ukraine to help them fight off Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion.

In a news conference announcing the resolution, Greene said, "The American people, the taxpayers of this country deserve to know where their money is going and how it's being spent...With the money we've sent to Ukraine, we could have already secured our border, but we're not doing that."

Ben Hodges, former Commanding General of the U.S. Army Europe, told Newsweek on Sunday, "Supporting Ukraine is about so much more than just Ukraine. It's about preserving the international rules-based order, which has been so beneficial for the USA for the past 75 years. It's about ensuring stability and security in Europe, which is essential for American prosperity...Europe is our largest, most important trading partner. And it's about deterrence of China...if the Chinese see that we can't stick together and support Ukraine and defeat Russia, then they won't be too impressed with anything we say about Taiwan or the South China Sea."

Hodges added that it was "unfortunate and disturbing that a few misguided Members of the Republican Party, what once was the Party of Reagan, now use Kremlin talking points and are prepared to walk away from protecting a struggling young democracy, Ukraine."

Stavridis has vocalized previous support for aid to Ukraine, and took to Twitter last Friday and said, "Ukraine is a tale of 2 wars...1 on the ground ..1 in the air. The Ukrainians are winning on the ground, but Russians are winning in the air and destroying Ukraine's electric grid. We need to increase air defense to help win the 2nd war - doing that will break the Russian war effort."

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has remained steadfast in his ongoing support for Ukraine. Last week, his administration announced an additional $400 million security assistance package including munitions for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) and heavy machine guns.

"In total, the United States has committed more than $19.7 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden Administration. Since 2014, the United States has committed more than $21.8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine and more than $19 billion since the beginning of Russia's unprovoked and brutal invasion on February 24," the Department of Defense (DOD) said in a statement on its website.