Russia crisis exacerbates US political divisions

The White House forcefully criticized a GOP senator on Wednesday for language it said parroted Russian talking points, as fault lines between President Biden and his staunchest GOP critics deepened on the Russia-Ukraine crisis. 

White House press secretary Jen Psaki ripped Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who is widely seen as a possible presidential candidate, for suggesting in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the U.S. drop support for Ukraine’s eventual admission into NATO.

Psaki suggested doing so amounted to appeasement of Russia, which has massed troops on Ukraine’s border, triggering an international crisis. The Pentagon on Wednesday sent troops to Europe amid rising fears about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“If you are digesting Russian misinformation and parroting Russian talking points, you are not aligned with longstanding bipartisan American values,” she said during a White House briefing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that NATO commit to blocking Ukraine from joining the alliance, an ask the U.S. has stood firm against as officials try to ward off a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Psaki said her remark was also directed at “others who may be parroting the talking points of Russian propagandists.”

The White House did not name names, but Fox News host Tucker Carlson has been critical of Biden’s approach to the pending crisis, questioning why the U.S. is siding with Ukraine.

The episode was the latest instance of the Ukraine crisis exposing divisions within the United States over America’s posture overseas and decisionmaking with respect to Russia’s ongoing threats to its neighbor.

Hawley is not the only conservative to criticize Biden, but the issue has also pulled back the curtain on divides within the GOP on foreign policy and defense.

The Biden administration’s decision to deploy 3,000 troops to defend NATO allies Poland, Germany and Romania split Republicans, with a few GOP lawmakers, Hawley included, criticizing the decision and others offering support.

“I completely support the Biden Administration’s decision to send more U.S. troops to bolster NATO allies in the face of Russian aggression,” tweeted Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). “It is imperative that NATO meet the moment and that we stand firmly against Putin’s efforts to divide the alliance.” 

Sen. James Inhofe (Okla.), the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, described the decision to deploy troops as “appropriate” but belated, arguing that Biden has failed to deter Moscow.

Democrats offered support for the decision, which the White House described as an effort to defend against and deter Russian aggression and demonstrate U.S. commitment to NATO’s collective defense clause.  

“I think it absolutely is the right move,” former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said in an interview. “I think that what we’ve seen is that the United States and NATO, by making clear to Russia that they will pay a price, a heavy price, for a possible invasion, that that’s making Putin think twice about whether or not to do it.”  

“The more leverage we put in place, the clearer the signal will be to Putin that he should try and negotiate some kind of resolution,” Panetta added. 

At the same time, there also have seen signs of discontent and differences of opinion over the issue on the left.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) issued a statement last week declaring there to be “no military solution to the crisis.” 

“We have significant concerns that new troop deployments, sweeping and indiscriminate sanctions, and a flood of hundreds of millions of dollars in lethal weapons will only raise tensions and increase the chance of miscalculation,” the lawmakers said. “Russia’s strategy is to inflame tensions; the United States and NATO must not play into this strategy.” 

A progressive political strategist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the whole issue creates a political tightrope of sorts for Biden on both the international and domestic stage.   

Biden is confronting a war-weary American public and is averse to getting America entangled in another foreign conflict having just withdrawn U.S. troops from Afghanistan.  

“I think the administration is trying to balance a couple competing priorities here and they’re challenging,” the progressive strategist said.   

Much of the administration’s attention has been focused on uniting allies behind a harsh sanctions package that officials say Russia will face if it invades Ukraine. 

Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of senators is finalizing sanctions legislation on Capitol Hill — a sign of some bipartisan cooperation on responding to the current crisis despite other disagreements.  

Speaking on MSNBC Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said an agreement on a sanctions package could be reached “in the next day or so.”   

Among the 3,000 forces headed for Eastern Europe, a force of 2,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division and the 18th Airborne Corps stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., will be deployed to Poland and Germany.   

Additionally, 1,000 troops from the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, a Stryker squadron based in Vilseck, Germany, will be repositioned to Romania to augment more than 900 U.S. service members that are already on regular rotation in the country.

The deployments are in addition to the 8,500 troops that the Pentagon put on heightened alert last week to deploy. Those forces would largely help NATO’s response force — a multinational force of 40,000 that could deploy on short notice.

The White House and Pentagon have been adamant that the U.S. is not sending forces into Ukraine to fight Russia should it invade.

Asked Wednesday whether there were concerns that the deployments could escalate the situation, Psaki answered that the deployments were meant to defend and reassure NATO allies.

“There is one aggressor here. That aggressor is Russia,” she said.

Panetta argued that any of the steps the U.S. has taken to date — putting troops on high alert, arming Ukraine with defensive aid and threatening sanctions — could be considered “provocative,” but he said it was more important to deter Moscow.  

“I think the steps we are taking are the right steps to deter,” he said.