Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., urged the Biden administration to abandon its support for Ukraine’s NATO membership and instead focus on thwarting Chinese goals in the Indo-Pacific area. Fox News Digital acquired a letter from Hawley to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, which was sent to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in which the senator requests “clarity on the Biden administration’s support for Ukraine’s possible NATO membership.” The senator asked the United States to focus on China and its actions in the Indo-Pacific area, where Beijing seeks to “propel its ascent” through the dominance of the region’s resources.
Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, in Washington, D.C., U.S. (Washington Examiner/Bloomberg/Graeme Jennings) “Americans’ security and prosperity are dependent on our ability to prevent that from happening, and so the United States must shift resources to the Indo-Pacific to deny China’s bid for regional dominance,” Hawley wrote, urging the United States to abandon “the heavy burden it once carried in other regions of the world, including Europe.” Hawley has constantly advocated for efforts to rein in China’s expansion and ambition, such as his 2020 speech to “transform” the global economy and move economic dominance away from China.
The senator supports any help provided to Ukraine to protect itself but argues that the United States’ interest “is not sufficiently great” to justify “committing” to a conflict in the region. Maxar Technologies’ photos of the Ukrainian border reveal tanks, missiles, and personnel in positions near Ukrainian territory or within Russian-annexed Crimea. More than 125,000 Russian troops are thought to be stationed in those areas. “Troop tents and personnel shelters have been observed at practically every deployment point in Belarus, Crimea, and western Russia, indicating that the units are now accompanied by troops and have boosted their overall readiness level,” a company representative told Sky News.
However, Hawley feels that the looming danger presents an excellent opportunity for the United States to clarify its obligations overseas. “President Biden has already stated that if Russia invades Ukraine, the US would send additional conventional forces to Europe,” Hawley wrote. “Such a deployment will only harm the United States military’s capacity to prepare and upgrade units to deter China in the Indo-Pacific.” The letter demands replies from Blinken on the benefits of Ukraine’s accession to NATO to the alliance and US interests overseas, with a deadline of Feb. 28 for the secretary to respond.
