>> i from the 11th district in new jersey, member of the house armed services committee tenure navy veteran welcome to "washington journal". >> thank you for having me. >> talking about the us and nato with the ukraine war are we doing enough? >> as you may know i had the opportunity to go to ukraine a couple of weeks ago at the foreign affairs committee a son the house armed services committee and also previously i was a russian policy actor

when i was in the navy. so i wanted to go over there and assess what was doing so we stopped in brussels and something that struck me is under the previous administration our relationship with nato allies hadco become frayed. i have never seen our partnership stronger. i have been working with our nato allies for many years and i have never seen a partnership stronger. we acted in concert with our european allies and when i went over to ukraine and spoke to president zelensky i was incredibly impressed at the will of you that ukrainian people as a member of the house armed services committee to make sure you have what you need to fight the russians and he talked about what he could

use and i don't need troops on the ground because we will fight the russians and the bravery we have seen from thete ukrainians the will to protect their homeland has been inspirational to me. >> you were quoted one week ago he was nato gave putin every opportunity to change course. what course do you think vladimir putin is now on? >> it seems apparent he has decided he will work to hold and take over ukraine. the invasion has not gone as he hoped it would go or as the military hoped it would go within the convoy. you are not making the headway they wanted. they have a tough road ahead. but we have seen some

successes in the south with the russian forces but this is a longer proposition that i think putin was surprised to see the will of the ukrainian people. i think he thought there were a lot of people that would be supportive of russia. but this is not 20142014 russia invaded them pretty quickly took over areas of ukraine. but i think what that did was consolidate the sovereignty and part of that national identity is against russian occupation and one woman even said to me she knows what is goingls on in the area russia controls if you post about putin you get thrown in jail and ukrainian people know what is at stake and willing to fight for it.

>> you are with us and tell 8:30 a.m. eastern. we welcome your calls. representatives some of your colleagues have said to delivery of lethal and nonlethal aid what is your view quick. >> we are working very hard. the intelligence community has been incredible. the work they have done, the professionalism, it really has been jaw-dropping how they have been able to provide that intelligence and what that has done is consolidate from the allies that they appreciate information we are providing them and information sharing. putin wants to divide the world into us and russia and

chinese theaters of influence and totally cut out european allies and i think the abilityem of the us to provide that democratic leadership has been so important. we have been working to get the ukrainians what they need to fight the battle. we started once we began to understand that it would invade and wee work with our european allies. they have provided quite a bit of material. we have also put forces and then nato ally states that surround the region because places like poland and romania are very concerned putin will just keep going as he invades and moves through ukraine. we have provided a great deal of support and we are providing w more.

host: should we be surprised of the 1 million refugees? >> the pictures are so sad to see what putin has done what the unprovoked war. remember in the united states nobody has fired a shot and he has decided to invade. and to see the refugees it is heartbreaking. and that is an area we also need to provide a great deal of support. host: we talked about this with our viewers just before you came onto the air president zelensky urges president biden to offer a no-fly zone. what your thoughts about a nato no-fly zone? >> president biden announced a no-fly zone for russians over the united states many

european allies have instituted different no-fly zones. i certainly am in favor of putting as many constraints on putin and the russians as possible. host: should that the military? that nato and american jets posing a military no-fly zone? >> i don't see it going to that extent right now. remember, what we want to do is protect our nato allies, give the ukrainian people all the support they can to fight russia. but at the same time as your viewers know nuclear on —- russia is a nuclear power and we don't want to get into a hot war with russia. host: so the money the president has asked for with additional aid for ukraine

six.$4 billion, three. 5 billion from the defense department and two.nine to pillion on —- billion from the state department where is that in terms of getting past the house? >> the president would like to see passing the on the this package we are working hard we are certainly working hard to come to an agreement how we would provide support for the ukrainians. host: need to the veteran and a graduate of the naval academy represents the 11th district in new jersey first to florida on the republican line. >>caller: good morning. listening to people talk about crimea and 2014 blaming that on president obama and biden that wasn't tom manafort in

ukraine handling the election in 2014 just before they invaded crimea? and wasn't that the initiative that paul manafort came here and then started up the trump campaign? because then we got the mueller report i cannot say i have read the entire thing but i read the indictment of the 25 russians that came out before the report did and it is amazing. i wonder if we had listened to the mueller report if we would be here today. and then, as soon as trump got in office he fired tony on the ninth but on the tenth he had

new people in his office we found that out from russian tv and that was the basis of the first impeachment and then we had an insurrection. tucker carlson is onox fox news i am wondering is vladimir putin listening to tucker carlson and getting his own? >> certainly pieces of that report were disturbing. the russian misinformation campaign that we saw in our election system trying to fill discord to so discord and break the country apart which

was jaw-dropping in the ways they did that. but then holding up some of the weaponry to ukraine which was really upsetting to me this is one of the things that led to the first impeachment of president trump. as many of your viewers know ukraine gave up nuclear weapons at the understanding it would be protected and we did that by giving them equipment like javelins. so we had given them that javelins but the administration withheld those in the attempt to strong-arm the ukrainian government. so as we think about enforcing getting the support the ukrainians need how important that is an we have seen that overtime for so - . but those revolutions with interference is very

concerning. host: how concerned are you to be arm nuclear weapons. >> i think like everyone i think any discussion of nuclear weapons very serious. i am very opposed to belarus rearming and i am also concerned it's hard to understand the previous color with putin mindset i think we're having a difficult time understanding where he thinks this will and because it seems things have gone very poorly for him he now has nato troops in his border and he wanted to divide the united states if you watch thehe state of the

union the whole house republicans and democrats alike are incredibly united in support of defending against russian aggression. he doesn't like the trans-atlantic relationship that is on more solid footing than i have ever seen it so it's hard to understand the mindset of what he is thinking and where he plans to go from here. host: new jersey on the democratic line. >>caller. >> thank you for taking my call. i would beseech your listeners and allan americans to be a little more educated i think your caller earlier talked about the lack of information that it is out there the major media outlets are not

publishing it. i don't want to take up a lot of time because it goes back but when the congresswoman said in 2014 crimea was attacked what they are not telling you that victoria newman made a mistake by noticing that the government separate in crimea. they have their own government and decided to have a referendum and they all voted forso independence. but we spent 5 billion of our taxpayer dollars to overthrow a crook, a democratically elected crook and the country is a mess.

you don't talk about the atrocities the 15000 people east ukraine, constant bombing into hundred 50 people dead in the last week already women and children and indiscriminate bombing ofnd schools, hospitals. let's have some balance. host: i think. >>caller. >> i think targeting those areas my schools and government buildings is horrific and why putin decided in an unprovoked away attack ukraine is really upsetting. but i can't disagree with ukrainian decision to fight

this. because there are things that are very precious and liberty and freedom are those things to me. that is what our nation is founded on with the idea as human beings we have a right to determine our government and how we will live. we have aok right to determine what her future looks like. under russian rule, people do not have basic rights that we take for granted. they cannot complain about their government. they go to jail. they are monitored. they cannot live as individual human beings in a way that americans recognize nobody hates war more than a veteran because we have seen it firsthand and it is horrible. and again, to remind you this is an unprovoked attack by russia but i cannot disagree with ukrainian decision to fight that.

host: the republican line good morning. >>caller: i am from new jersey my son is 82nd airborne specialist stationed in poland with the humanitarian crisis with what is going on in ukraine. but my position is we should not get involved. nato should not get involved. we should not do a no-fly zone because that puts us directly involved. and to the y congresswoman from new jersey, you mention president trump and him withholding aid to ukraine. but president trump made no demands that i know of, correct me if i'm wrong. but what about when biden withheld aid to ukraine and demanded that the prosecutor be fired that was

investigating corruption in ukraine where his son hunter was also referenced? that is the corruption of ukraine and receiving many as we all know and openly publicly but you don't mention that because also for previous colors c this is not a blm issue. i'm sorry itt is not a lot has been about blm and this is not a blm issue we should all be afraid but how far is putin willing to take this? host: the prosecutor that was fired was seen as corruption not just by the united states but many allies and we have been working on democracy programs in ukraine to and

corruption it's been known as a very corrupt country those that have served time in jail they are in the power parliament that there is a lot of work being done there and the thing that struck me speaking to usaid and groups there that while we have seen rollbacks in democracy and the measures that we take to see how democracies areun functioning and we have seen some rollbacks in the region but the ukraine movement toward a better democracy has either help study with others moving backwards or moving forward in the democracy program.

this is a country that very much wants to form a better democracy a more perfect union and that's not without deep flaws that they haven't been let into nato yet one of the measures is how you move toward ending corruption creating better democratic programs. they are working towards that. and to see that is contrary to other areas and it's even more heartbreaking to see what putin is attacking. host: looking at the native allies pouring weapons and ukraine risking conflict with russia brussels is proud to provide military aid but moscow can see that is a

dangerous intervention. how concerned are you that it can be seen as an intervention to stop those weapons coming into ukraine? >> we are working to ensure that does not happen we are working in concert with nato allies that somehow we would create a situation to be in conflict with russia, i agree with the previous color. we do not want to get into a war with russia so to make sure that we follow the rules for and not entering into that conflict and that is something they value held not just that the united states that the nato allies as well.

>>caller: good morning. i am appalled we haven't done anything to stop russia they will just keep marching east. that'sth a problem but then to say if he cannot play nice if we don't stand up to him he will keep going east. >> right. that is a g great point. that the united states and nato are very concerned which is why we have put troops i have added troops ordered like the previous color with other nativee countries as have all the nato partners moving troops into the region to ensure that putin cannot continue to march east and he

will be met with troops at the border. and we have been very clear in messaging to the russians that is the redline of article five these are nato countries. treaty obligations to defend them one attacked is an attack on all t and with an understanding that would cross the redline is very powerful and it is the hope that it will stop russia from any movement any further east. >>caller:: good morning representative. i'm interested in understanding the negotiations we hadth with putin. from what i understand biden's position is we had to keep the

door always open to ukraine could be a member and putin's position was the opposite it can never be a member did we offer putin? he said weou gave him every chance to be offered in the concept of ukraine being a neutrality zone with no nato or russian involvement in ukraine? >> we did not. that is contrary to our values and the idea of a sovereign nation deciding its own treaty end fates. we were very clear that ukraine had work to do to become a nato partner and that would not be happening in the near future but ukraine as a sovereign nation the decision whether or not they want to

join certain alliances, there are countries in the region who even have in the constitution they will not join nato and remain neutral and that is a decision ukraine could've made on its own but certainly not one united states can make for it. host: her second term in the us congress representing northern new jersey thank you for being on "washington journal". >> the ranking member of the rules committee will come back. >> it seems like a lot of unity tuesday night on the issue of the war in ukraine. what is your view how the us and nato are handling the war so far? can we do