Montana senators react to Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Montana’s two Senators weighed in on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Thursday.

“I’m praying for the people of Ukraine and condemn Putin’s outrageous attack on their sovereignty and independence. Putin is a thug, and he has been empowered and emboldened by Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and his approval of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline while killing America’s Keystone XL pipeline,” Republican Steve Daines said. “The skyrocketing price of oil and resulting inflation are stark reminders of the importance of increasing, not decreasing, made in America energy. I do not support sending American troops to Ukraine.”

Democrat Sen. Jon Tester said it was the biggest land grab since World War II and unacceptable.

“Vladimir Putin single-handedly started an unprovoked war that makes the world less safe. I stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and with every freedom-loving democracy in condemning Russia’s illegal military actions. The United States will continue to support the security and stability of our NATO and European allies in the face of these acts of war,” he said.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday before the onslaught, Tester said he supported stiff sanctions against Russia, though he doubted we would see U.S. airstrikes or a ground battle against Russian troops unless Russia attacks a NATO country.

Russian troops invaded Ukraine on multiple fronts Thursday and continued their assault through the past week.

“Ukraine is not a threat to Russia,” Tester said Wednesday. “This shows how unstable (Putin) really is.”

President Biden called the Russian action “a premeditated war,” the Washington Post reported.

It came shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on state television that Russia was beginning a military operation for the “demilitarization and denazification” of eastern Ukraine. He said that Russia did not intend to occupy the country, the Post reported.

Ryan Zinke, a Whitefish native and former Navy Seal who is running for Congress in Montana’s First Congressional District echoed Daines’s sentiment about the Keystone XL pipeline and he was critical of the Biden Administration.

“We (The U.S.) are not weak,” he said. “We just have weak leadership.”

He said he did not support U.S. troops engaging in the conflict, but he said the U.S. should be providing Ukraine with advanced drones, capable of taking out tanks and other artillery.

The missiles the Ukrainians currently have will take out tanks, but they have a range of about 1,500 meters. The tanks, meanwhile, have a range of 3,000 meters.

But as the war becomes urban, the conflict compresses. It hearkens back to World War II. Zinke said he fought in Fallujah in Iraq and urban wars are game-changers.

“Game changers in tragedy, too,” he said.

He also warned about China taking over Taiwan and Iraq aggression in the future.

In the meantime, he urged energy independence in the U.S. and help from the U.S. to assist Europe in the future.

Relying on Russia is untenable as they are a regime “of repression,” he said.

“This is what a policy of appeasement looks like,” Zinke claimed. “Russia has a different viewpoint … They want to recreate the Soviet Union.”