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Sen. Cornyn Calls For U.S. Arming Ukrainian Soldiers

Texas Tribune/Flickr
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, in a 2011 picture at the Texas Tribune Festival.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas told KERA Tuesday that the United States should help the Ukrainians repel Russian aggression by giving them weapons.

“We’re not talking about American boots on the ground, but we are talking about American resources to help arm and train and help with intelligence gathering and help them repel this invasion,” Cornyn said during a wide-ranging interview. 

“If you think about it, what’s to stop Putin from continuing this in other Baltic states, other former satellites of the Soviet Union,” he said.

Cornyn’s call to arm Ukraine follows reports of Russian soldiers being spotted in the two major Ukraine cities of Donetsk and Luhansk. 

A European official has also quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin as saying he could “take Kiev," the capital of the Ukraine, in two weeks if he wants to.

On Thursday, President Barack Obama and NATO leaders begin meeting to consider establishing a rapid-reaction force of 4,000 soldiers that could deploy quickly to Eastern Europe if Russian aggression continues.

Meanwhile, NPR reports that the Kremlin is disputing the context of Putin's controversial quote.

NPR coverage

Former KERA staffer Shelley Kofler was news director, managing editor and senior reporter. She is an award-winning reporter and television producer who previously served as the Austin bureau chief and legislative reporter for North Texas ABC affiliate WFAA-TV.