Republican Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker gave a disturbing interview with Fox News where he floated the possibility of a ground deployment and nuclear strike against Russia should the US engage in a conflict over Ukraine.
“I would not rule out military action. I think we start making a mistake when we take options off the table, so I would hope the president keeps that option on the table,” said Wicker about a potential standoff with Russia to Fox News’ Neil Cavuto on Tuesday.
On Fox News, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) floats the idea of bombing Russian military assets — and says he wouldn’t even rule out a nuclear strike pic.twitter.com/I6SatMy6hi
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 7, 2021
Asked what military action against Russia would comprise, Wicker said it could mean “that we stand off with our ships in the Black Sea and we rain destruction on Russian military capability.”
“I would not rule out American troops on the ground,” the senator declared, adding that the US also shouldn’t “rule out first use nuclear action” against Russia.
We don’t think it will happen, but there’s certain things in negotiations if you’re going to be tough that you don’t take off the table, and so I think the president should say that everything is on the table.
Wicker’s comments received widespread condemnation, with critics calling them “insane” and “bloodthirsty.”
It’s amazing and horrifying how detached from reality a subset of Congress is on foreign policy… in this case, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. 😬 https://t.co/Pl1DktVZEc
— Emma Ashford (@EmmaMAshford) December 8, 2021
Jon Wolfsthal – who served as Joe Biden’s special advisor for nuclear security and as a senior director for arms control and nonproliferation on the US National Security Council – called Wicker’s words “dangerous and irresponsible.”
The GOP is so bloodthirsty that they are ready to bring WW3 & unleashing nuclear winter on us while denying people their positions to protect us from these very things. This is damn dangerous. https://t.co/uO9nW1MEnp
— Russell Foster for Congress TX-4 (@RussellFosterTX) December 7, 2021
Republican Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger, however, backed Wicker’s call for all cards to be on the table.
“Russia advances till they hit a brick wall. We can be the brick wall, or we can retreat from the Sudetenland and hope he doesn’t intend to rebuild ALL the Soviet Union. History repeats itself but we always deny it’s happening,” Kinzinger declared.
Ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s video-link talks with US President Joe Biden on Tuesday, the Biden administration has repeatedly accused Moscow of allegedly planning an invasion of Ukraine, which the Kremlin has rejected as “fake news.”
“We still do not believe that President Putin has made a decision” to “further invade” Ukraine, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters after the talks, but emphasized that what “President Biden did today was lay out very clearly the consequences if he chooses to move.”
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