Rep. Spartz to Newsmax: US, World Must Put More Pressure on Russia

The United States, along with the international community, must take more action to put pressure on Russia and its President Vladimir Putin to bring a halt to the atrocities and deaths that are happening in Ukraine, Rep. Victoria Spartz, the first and only Ukrainian-born member of Congress, said Tuesday on Newsmax.

"Well I hope the United States, with the international community, will take some serious steps to put more pressure on Russia," the Indiana Republican said on Newsmax's "National Report." "There are a lot of talks. There are a lot of things that you know we're trying to do, but ultimately only actions matter; only real, decisive actions."

Spartz said she is hoping to have answers in a hearing Tuesday involving Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Mark Milley and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin about the delays in getting weapons to Ukraine to help it fight back Russia's attacks.

"Why are they dragging their feet?" she said. "Lives of a lot of people are at stake, and every day they delay some of the actions and do a lot of talks. A lot of people are dying and dying a very brutal death. These people are going through hell."

Spartz, who was part of a delegation in Poland last month, said the situation in Ukraine is devastating and the "brutal slaughtering and killing of people is unbelievable."

Hostilities have been going on for the past eight years between Ukraine and Russia, she added, but are at their worst point now.

"This is something that we haven't experienced since World War II, you know, killing civilians, people that tried to escape," said Spartz. "It's unbelievable, so I think it needs to have a serious investigation and not just of President Putin, but all of the generals and commanders on the ground will have to be responsible for it."

Meanwhile, she said that in addition to equipment moving slowly, the sanctions that have been enacted again Russia have not gone far enough.

"They have to understand that the West is serious, that this is not temporary and it's going to have a significant impact on them," said Spartz. "This is the only way these people will be able to get to the table to have some resolution to this insanity."

And that resolution must be that Ukraine wins the war, she said.

"If Russia lays their weapons down, we're going to have no war," said Spartz. "If we lay our arms down there is no Ukraine. They are very serious and destroying, killing, and slaughtering people. This is a massacre of people, you know, so they are not going to stop until they're stopped."

However, the longer the conflict continues, the more difficult it will be for Ukraine to reach any agreements with Russia.

"The people who suffered the most from this war are women and children, and when you see Poland, what you see in Ukraine, I mean, it just breaks my heart," said the congresswoman.

Spartz recalled that while she was in Poland, she spoke with refugees who were devastated after fleeing from Ukraine, where there were no humanitarian corridors.

"They ran from bullets, shooting at them," Spartz added. "These people want to go back and have peace."

She also warned that if more isn't done, there will be problems for countries like Poland as well, as criminals are already trying to take advantage of vulnerable people, which could mean child trafficking, and more could take place.

"It's going to be a lot of problems happening if we don't figure out, as an international community, to put pressure [on Russia]," she said. "Not just the United States. Europe has to take some bolder steps to help us."

Note: See Newsmax TV now carried in more than 100 million U.S. homes, on DirecTV Ch. 349, Dish Network Ch. 216, Xfinity Ch. 1115, Spectrum, U-verse Ch. 1220, FiOS Ch. 615, Frontier Ch. 115, Optimum Ch. 102, Cox cable, Suddenlink Ch. 102, Mediacom Ch. 277, AT&T TV Ch 349, FUBO and major OTT platforms like Roku, YouTube, Xumo, Pluto and most smart TV’s including Samsung+, Sony, LG, Vizio and more – Find All Systems that Carry Newsmax – Click Here