On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Congress virtually from his office in Kyiv, calling on the United States to "do more" to aid his nation in thwarting the Russian invasion.
Among those in attendance was U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover), who gave Zelensky's speech high marks.
During an interview with Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5's "The Jeff Poor Show" on Thursday, Palmer likened the speech to Winston Churchill's address to Parliament shortly before the United States' entry into World War II.
He also criticized the Biden administration's "piecemeal" approach to getting aid into Ukraine.
"Well, particularly the end of the speech where he spoke to us in English was very moving and very effective, I believe," he said. "I think Zelensky made some excellent points, and it reminded me of Winston Churchill's speech to Parliament in February 1941, where at the end of Churchill's speech, he knew he was speaking over the BBC and [Franklin] Roosevelt was listening. But Churchill, at the end of that speech, said, 'Put your confidence in us.' At the end of the speech was this sentence: 'Give us the tools, and we will finish the job.'
"I really think that's where we are right now," Palmer continued. "We need to give Ukraine the tools. The thing that bothers me the most about what we're doing -- Congress appropriated a substantial amount of money to help Ukraine, but the Biden administration is doling it out piecemeal. I know $800 million sounds like a lot, but it's not that much in context of fighting a war. It concerns me that the Biden administration is approaching this much like they did in Afghanistan, where instead of listening to the military people on the ground in Afghanistan, the decisions were being made by people in suits sitting in desks thousands of miles away, and it seems to be the same thing we're doing here.
"There are people on the ground face to face with the enemy," he added. "They know what they need. They know how to use this equipment. And I think we should provide it to them."
Palmer predicted Putin's efforts would ultimately fail in Ukraine.
"[I] don't think this is a war Putin can win," he said. "He may succeed in destroying their infrastructure. But the Ukrainian people will drag this out. This will be an insurgency that will last for 10-20 years. And it will not only drain the Russian treasury, but it's going to drain their blood."
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