NATO Member Warns Speaker Johson, “The Credibility Of Your Country Is At Stake”

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski discussed the situation in Ukraine and called out House Speaker Johnson over stalling to introduce the aid bill to the House floor.

Sikorski spoke on CNN

While on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” Sikorski was asked what he would have to say to Speaker Johnson. His response was clear, “I would say as a former Speaker to a current Speaker, I would say, Mr. Speaker, it is the fate of Ukraine, it is the tortured people of Ukraine that beg you, but it is also the credibility of your country that is at stake.”

Johnson is facing pressure over Ukraine

The House Speaker has faced pressure since the Senate passed the foreign aid package nearly three weeks ago on February 13. However, the measure has yet to enter the House, with Johnson saying he wants to be patient.

Criticism from both sides

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Johnson has faced harsh criticism from Democrats as well as some of his Republican colleagues. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer described the meeting between President Biden and Johnson as “one of the most intense” he had ever witnessed in the Oval Office.

The meeting in the White House

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, also joined the President, Vice President, Schumer, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to clarify that helping Ukraine is “vital.” Schumer warned after the meeting that if Ukraine loses, “NATO would be fractured at best. Allies would turn away from the United States,” adding, “We wanted to do the border and have a tough, secure border plan, as we showed, we Democrats showed in the Senate.” Johnson told reporters, “I was very clear with the president and all those in the room that the House is actively pursuing and investigating all the various options on [the supplemental bill], and we will address that in a timely manner.”

Poland reminded the US of the promises

In the meantime, the Polish minister continued, “The president of the United States in wartime went to Kyiv on his historic visit, planted the standard of the United States in downtown Kyiv, saying, ‘You are an ally, we will do whatever it takes, and for however long it takes to help you.’” Sikorski noted, “The word of the United States has been spoken. It needs to be followed up with action, with deliveries.”

Ukrainians are in “defense mode”

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Sikorski warned that Ukrainians are now in “defense mode” and explained, “I was in Kyiv in December, and I talked to my Ukrainian counterparts all the time. Around Avdiivka, they were outgunned in artillery 8-to-1.” He continued, “So they’re doing close-quarter combat, which is why people are dying in greater numbers than they should be, because of the shortage of arms, and the shortage of arms is because the supplemental hasn’t yet passed.”

The world is watching

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The Polish minister also spoke to the Atlantic Council think tank, Reuters reported, where he stated that Johnson previously “spoke warmly about Ukraine.” But Sikorski urged the House Speaker to pass the bill, saying, “I’d like him to know that the whole world is watching what he would do and if the supplemental [aid package] were not to pass and Ukraine was to suffer reversals on the battlefield it will be his responsibility.”

Johnson claims borders are more important, but…

While Speaker Johnson had no interest in sweeping a bipartisan border deal, he later stated that the US should be focused on its borders. However, many are quick to remind him about it, as reporter Aaron Rupar wrote on X, “Speaker Mike Johnson says ‘the border’ is America’s top need, even though he scuttled bipartisan border security legislation just weeks ago.”

Johnson was forced to declare he was not taking orders from Trump

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, had a heated exchange with NBC News’ Meet the Press host Kristen Welker. Welker wondered, “You have an opportunity to do something right now about the situation at the border, which you’ve been calling for new legislation on the border since you first took office,” adding, “But, let me ask you about Donald Trump. He said any Republican who votes for this deal should be ashamed of themselves. You said you speak to him frequently and that you’ve discussed this deal with him ‘at length.’ Is Donald Trump calling the shots here, Mr. Speaker?”

Trump’s “not calling the shots”

Johnson answered, “Of course not. He’s not calling the shots. I am calling the shots for the House. That’s our responsibility. And I have been saying this far longer than President Trump has. I’ve been saying what the requirements are to fix the problem.”

GOP senator questioned Congress Republicans’ motives

Senator James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican, stated, “It’s interesting, Republicans four months ago would not give funding for Ukraine, Israel, and for our southern border because we demanded policy changes. So we actually locked arms together and said, we’re not going to give you money for this, we want a change in law.”

Yet, something is not right

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Lankford added, “And now it’s interesting, a few months later, when we’re finally getting to the end, they’re like, ‘Oh, just kidding, I actually don’t want a change in law because of the presidential election year.'”