Rick Scott: "We have to continue to do everything we can to support Ukraine"
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The U.S. must continue giving support to Ukraine in order to avoid being pulled into a war with Russia, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday.
Why it matters: Scott's comments contrasted sharply with comments made by his fellow Republican, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), earlier this week. Greene said that "not another penny" would go to Ukraine if Republicans retake control of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections.
What they're saying: "I think we have to continue to do everything we can to support Ukraine, who wants to defend their freedom and stop Russia from continuing to expand," Scott replied when asked by host Chuck Todd if Greene's perspective was right.
- "I don't want to end up in a war with Russia. If we don't continue to help Ukraine the right way — we can't waste our dollars — then they're going to be in Poland, or some other country, where we will be at war because they're part of our NATO alliance," he added.
- "So I want to figure out how do we make sure that Ukraine can defend their freedom and we stop Russia."
The big picture: The Biden administration has been regularly authorizing military assistance packages for Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion in February, providing Ukraine with weapons, equipment and ammunition.
- The latest package of $400 million was announced on Friday and included refurbished tanks and explosive drones as well as funding for "training, maintenance, and sustainment."
- Taking into account the latest package, the U.S. has committed more than $18.2 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of the war, the Department of Defense said in a press release Friday.
Go deeper: Ukraine "concerned" about U.S. Republican threats to cut aid, FM says
