Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, conservative Republican from Georgia, has said that any notions in the US about the Kiev regime retaking Crimea are insane. “Full blown insanity! Now the US warmongers say that in order to defend Ukraine that Ukraine must invade Crimea and take it back from Russia,” she said on twitter, reported Newsweek. “All US led, financed, supported, and stocked with military equipment and weapons of course. It’s out of control.”
In return, Greene sparked a lecture on “patriotism” from Newsweek and the Atlantic Council, because what the Newsweek report actually reflects is fears of growing opposition within the U.S. to the Biden Administration’s war policy towards Russia. “Ukrainian successes are fueling optimism in Kyiv that its troops could completely repel Russian advances, as well as retake control over Crimea, despite the potential of another Russian mobilization,” Newsweek fantasizes even before quoting Green. That supposed optimism, Newsweek continues, “has invoked criticism from U.S. conservatives, including Greene, a Georgia Republican. Many in the GOP have become critical of Ukrainian leadership amid the war and have opposed military aid provided by the U.S. federal government to Ukraine.”
What emerges out of this is a new definition of what it means to be an American patriot. Newsweek cites John Herbst of the war-mongering Atlantic Council calling Green’s tweet “puzzling” and asserting that what conservatives don’t understand is that Ukraine, “by fighting for its independence,” has (allegedly) destroyed as much as half of Russia’s military capacity, which he described as beneficial to American security interests.
“If you’re a patriot, you should welcome American support for Ukraine,” he said. “It’s a very good investment in American security and American prosperity.” Herbst claimed that it would set a “very dangerous” precedent to allow Russia to get away with taking Ukraine’s territory. He also questioned why right-wingers who oppose Ukraine aid do not talk more about the war crimes committed by the Russian military.
So, if you oppose continued US military aid to Ukraine, you’re being treasonous?
Rep. Matt Gaetz added his voice, tweeting from a speech he made at the Turning Point conference: “I will work with anyone and everyone to…end wars…to stop sending money to Ukraine….”
