A couple of things stood out to me about Rounds speaking about the war in Ukraine. Unlike some in his party, Rounds is not criticizing the United States for doing too much for Ukraine, but too little and too slowly. "I just feel so frustrated that we have not been able to provide them all of the equipment that they need, and all of the weapons systems that they need, in order to respond to the absolute tyranny coming from Russia," he said. That in itself is unusual, as is the emotion in his voice when he speaks. This is a reminder that some Republicans understand the vital importance of helping Ukraine and the horrible ramifications if we do not. If you fail to learn the lessons from history, when appeasing other dictators always fails, there are immediate consequences.
Source: Kyiv Independent
U.S. Senator Mike Rounds, a Republican and ally of President-elect Donald Trump, said on Nov. 22 that Russia could not be trusted to engage in peace negotiations to end the full-scale war in Ukraine.
"As much as I would like to believe we can negotiate with a tyrant, I suspect we may be deceiving ourselves," Rounds said at the Halifax Security Forum, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Rounds' remarks stand in stark contrast to the views expressed by Trump, who has repeatedly pressed for a swift deal to end the war. Trump has also spoken admiringly of Putin on a number of occasions.
"Do you believe that this tyrant, if you offer him a part of a free country, do you think he's gonna stop?" Rounds said, as reported by Politico.
"I wish I could say there’s an easy way out, there's not."
While many of Trump's congressional allies have opposed ongoing military aid to Ukraine, Senate Republicans are generally pro-Ukraine and skeptical of negotiating with Moscow. Rounds went so far as to express frustration that the U.S. has not provided more weapons to Kyiv.
"I just feel so frustrated that we have not been able to provide them all of the equipment that they need, and all of the weapons systems that they need, in order to respond to the absolute tyranny coming from Russia," he said.
"I wonder why we haven't done more more quickly than we have."
Rounds did not criticize Trump directly and pointed out that his views were not those of the incoming presidential administration.
Ukrainians were quick to notice Rounds, praising him in the way they did John McCain as one of the few American politicians who understood Russia's intentions even before their first invasion in 2014.
As was ultra-conservative, though not MAGA, Heath Mayo.
