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See below for video and a few highlights from the “Friday Power Lunch” conversation yesterday with Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11). The main points Connolly made were:
- As a result of Putin’s assault on Ukraine, there’s a massive refugee crisis, with many “traumatized people”; “it’s a dire situation that the international community is rising to the occasion, especially the Poles.”
- For a long time, the assumption was that NATO nations could do business with Putin, but the reality is, “Putin is a malign actor…probably sociopathic” with “a set of grievances that cannot be addressed.”
- “What Putin has done is to highlight for everyone what really is at stake here; we really are fighting for liberal democracy and he is trying to impose authoritarian, autocratic government…There is a strength and solidarity among NATO democracies…In an odd way, an ironic way, Putin is actually achieving what he sought to avoid…”
- “Diversifying the supply chain is really critical, and that means more manufacturing here at home…”
- “The big problem for the Ukrainians is in the air…they need more help in anti-aircraft, anti-missile capability and in maybe even fighter aircraft…”
