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Oklahoma congressmen say all eyes should be on Ukraine situation

Tyler Butler, KTUL Staff

Washington, DC, February 21, 2022
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — The situation in and around Ukraine is changing by the hour, but Oklahoma Congressman Markwayne Mullin says one thing remains unchanged - Vladimir Putin's lust for power.

"Putin won't overplay his hand. I think he'll wait, but Georgia without question. He wants to take over Georgia again; he would love to take over Azerbaijan if possible. Putin's whole goal is to restore the old Soviet Union," said Mullin.

It's a thought echoed by Oklahoma Senator James Lankford.

"We're all extremely aware of Putin's focus on trying to be able to push out and recreate the USSR again. We should pay attention. We should not pretend this won't affect the world. We've seen oil prices around the world already accelerate based on Putin's actions now," said Lankford in a Senate floor speech.

Lankford says all of this is coming from a country that has an economy in tatters.

Mullin, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, says sanctions threatened by President Biden have already been factored into Putin's calculus.

"Ukraine has one of the largest deposits in Europe for crude oil, and they have the second-largest deposit for natural gas, and they have the largest deposit of rare earth minerals for batteries for the chip that goes in your vehicles. Once Russia were to move into Ukraine, they now control the energy price in Europe, which will control the economy," said Mullin.

Mullin says the U.S. will not be leading the way militarily but could be called upon to support NATO allies if the time comes. He does not believe Biden's expected meeting with Putin will result in Russia changing course.

Representative Kevin Hern sent us a statement on Ukraine.

It reads: “We’re only in this situation with Ukraine and Russia because Putin is taking advantage of Biden’s weak leadership. Putin’s received the assurances he wanted regarding Ukraine’s NATO status; even if no invasion occurs, Putin is already the victor. He’s shown that his tactics work, and a weak President of the United States is unable to stop him. Should opportunistic leaders in China or Iran decide to further test the U.S., it could spell disaster for the entire planet.”