Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's call for President Joe Biden to not only be the leader of the free world, but also the leader of peace, was "quite significant," Sen. Marsha Blackburn said Wednesday on Newsmax, but she's still not sure if Biden will relent on the Ukrainians' call for a no-fly zone to protect it from Russia's unrelenting air attacks.
"I'm not sure he will address the no-fly zone," the Tennessee Republican said on Newsmax's "National Report" before Biden's address to the nation. "There's much debate about that."
But still, if the United States can get Ukraine the planes it needs and the Javelin and Stinger missiles to stop the attacks, as well as drones and other equipment, it may be able to create the defense that a no-fly zone would allow and help them stop the Russian bombing attacks, said Blackburn.
"That's what he's [Zelenskyy's] wanting and giving him what he needs to defend himself, that is something we should do," said Blackburn, adding that such supplies should be sent in a continuous manner.
"Last fall I sent a letter to the White House, saying that now is the time for economic sanctions, keep the sanctions on Nord Stream 2, and to be certain that you're selling Ukraine lethal assistance, which is what they're needing right now," said Blackburn. "They don't have enough."
Blackburn said she found Zelenskyy's address inspirational, including his comments about the 9/11 attacks and Pearl Harbor and comparing Russia's unrelenting attacks to those occasions.
"The other thing I thought was really significant was toward the end of his speech, when he talked about strong does not mean the same thing as big, and he talked about the strength that the people of Ukraine are showing and pushing back on Russia," said Blackburn. "Then he gave President Biden a challenge, by saying 'You're the leader of the free world. You should be the leader of peace,' and I thought that was really quite significant."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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