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Republicans Double Down On Russia

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We move even closer to World War III.

Republicans are cautioning against allowing Vladimir Putin’s threats to dissuade the United States from supporting Ukraine, as tensions escalate due to Putin’s deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

During an appearance on ABC News‘ “This Week” on Sunday, Representative Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin stated that Vladimir Putin has been engaging in nuclear saber-rattling since the beginning of the crisis. Gallagher acknowledged the concern this generates, but also stressed that the United States cannot let Putin’s threats impede the delivery of critical weapon systems to Ukraine.

According to Putin, Russia will retain control over the nuclear weapons located in Belarus, citing the United States’ deployment of nuclear weapons in Europe and their continued control over them.

Representative Gallagher pointed out that the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons occurred shortly after Chinese President Xi Jinping’s three-day visit to Moscow and meeting with Putin earlier in the week. He further referred to Putin as “Xi’s agent of chaos” and a “tethered goat.”

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Representative Gallagher emphasized that it’s important to recognize Putin’s subordinate role to Chinese President Xi Jinping, stating that Putin serves as Xi’s “agent of chaos” and “tethered goat” in Europe. He further cautioned against separating the two issues, suggesting that such an approach would result in an ineffective geopolitical strategy.

Gallagher said, “These are two countries who increasingly are allied against the West, trying to undermine us. And so, we have to understand what we’re up against and make sure that we are re-arming so we can learn lessons from Ukraine and apply them to places like East Asia, for example.”

According to Putin, his decision to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus is similar to the United States’ deployment of its own weapons in Europe. He also stated that Russia would not be relinquishing control of these weapons to Belarus.

Putin stated, “We are not handing over [the weapons], and the U.S. does not hand [them] over to its allies. We’re basically doing the same thing they’ve been doing for a decade.”

Experts informed Reuters that this could be the first instance since the mid-1990s where Russia has stationed nuclear weapons outside its borders, marking a significant development. They noted that until now, Russia had taken pride in not deploying nuclear weapons outside of its own country, in contrast to the United States.