Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona: ‘In the end, Ukraine will be free’
Mar 7, 2022, 11:15 AM
A member of a Territorial Defence unit guards a barricade on the outskirts of eastern Kyiv on March 6, 2022, in Kyiv, Ukraine. Russia continues assault on Ukraine's major cities, including the capital Kyiv, more than a week after launching a large-scale invasion of the country. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
PHOENIX – U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona said Monday he thinks the Russian invasion of Ukraine is destined to fail, but it won’t end anytime soon.
“I think this will go on for months, unfortunately,” the Phoenix Democrat told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News.
Gallego, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said external or internal protests aren’t likely to deter Russia.
“I don’t think you can really shame Russia. … Of course there are tens of thousands of Russians that have been protesting against this, but it’s not a democratic country. So there is no shaming,” he said.
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What will eventually work, he said, is propping up the Ukrainian military without involving U.S. troops while taking steps to “cripple the Russian economy to the point where they won’t be able to pay their soldiers.”
“In the end, Ukraine will be free,” he said.
Gallego, a former combat Marine, said that even if Russia manages to install a “puppet government,” it won’t last because there aren’t enough Russian soldiers to hold Ukraine.
“So I think we have to stick together as Democratic countries — as free capitalist countries — and push back on this as long as we can,” he said.
“But I do think we can resolve this as best as possible within two to three months.”
