North Texas' Congressional Delegation Praises Zelenskyy's Speech To Congress
WASHINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) - Members of the North Texas Congressional delegation praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's impassioned speech before Congress Wednesday.
He pleaded with U.S. lawmakers to grant him access to more weapons to protect his citizens from Russian bombardments.
U.S. Representative Pat Fallon, Republican of the 4th Congressional District, which includes parts of Collin and Denton Counties said, "He was inspiring, and he was spot on. He was very candid in saying that he needed more, and I would agree with him full wholeheartedly."
U.S. Representative Marc Veasey, Democrat of the 33rd Congressional District, which includes parts of Fort Worth and Dallas said, "I'm glad that President Zelenskyy is optimistic and that he is in good spirits, because I think it's important for the Ukrainian people to see that their leader is resolute and that he is committed to making sure that they maintain their status as an independent country, and that they push back against Russian aggression."
But there are disagreements over how President Joe Biden and his administration have responded.
At a news conference with other Republican Senators Wednesday, John Cornyn of Texas criticized the Biden administration for not giving Ukraine access to more weapons that their President has requested. "The Biden Administration's timidity in the face of this evil needs to end and end today. We should not dictate from Washington D.C. what sort of weapons they can get access to."
Last week, President Biden rejected an offer by Poland to send Soviet produced MIG fighter jets to an American air base in Germany that would be transferred to Ukraine.
Congressman Fallon disagreed with President Biden's decision. "For the President to be drawing these arbitrary red lines on himself, he should be deterring Vladimir Putin not allowing Vladimir Putin to deter him. If you want to stop the bully, you're eventually going to have to face them down."
But Congressman Veasey said while he believes the MIGs would be helpful to Ukraine, the United States can't be seen as acting alone, and that all of NATO's members would have to agree to this.
Veasey defended President Biden saying he is trying to keep the U.S. from being dragged into a war with Russia. "It's one thing to pound your chest from the outside. But when you're sitting in that Oval Office, where the President sits, and he has to make all these decisions, it's much easier said than done."
The Ukrainian President also asked federal lawmakers for a no-fly zone over his country.
This is something that President has previously rejected.
Fallon said any weapons Ukraine can receive will help Ukraine deny Russian dominance. "Let's go for a de-facto no fly zone and the de-facto no fly zone could be established by providing the Ukrainians with far more Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. Also, there's a legacy system the Soviets built, and now the Russians to supply SA300's. A lot of our Eastern European allies, or at least a few of them, have those systems that are willing to give them to the Ukrainians."
Veasey said he agreed with the President's decision against a no-fly zone over Ukraine. "I think that it's really important for people to know that when they hear that term, that there's really no such thing as a no-fly zone. In and of itself, a no-fly zone, applied in this situation, is a declaration of war against Russia. So basically, you're looking at the beginning of World War Three."
He said he believes that President Biden's sanctions against Putin, hitting his country's economy, are the most powerful and effective tools he can use right now, without placing American troops in harm's way.
But Republicans and other critics have said the President's sanctions and response have been insufficient.
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