Senate Democrat says Ukraine needs ‘more air defense’

Rep. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said Ukraine requires “more air defense” in its war against Russia.

“[Russian President Vladimir] Putin is a mob thug. He understands only force and strength. And so, to send the CIA director, as President Biden did, Director Burns, to warn or try to persuade Putin with words, actions speak louder than words, largely going to be ineffective,” Blumenthal told CBS News’s Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation,” discussing a recent trip to Russia by CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

“And the Europeans understand that right now, what’s needed is more air defense,” he added.

According to multiple reports, a surprise trip to Moscow by Ratcliffe served to advise Russia against attacking NATO countries. President Trump called the CIA director’s visit “semi-routine” on Wednesday and Baltic officials played down any threat of an attack in the near future.

The happenings of Ratcliffe’s meeting were first reported on by The Wall Street Journal. The most recent trip to Russia by the CIA director happened in late 2021, when Bill Burns went to warn Putin against launching his full-scale invasion into Ukraine.

Ratcliffe’s recent meeting came alongside Russia intensifying its aerial attacks against Ukraine and a rising number of civilians being killed.

Per earlier reporting from the Journal, the U.S. intelligence community assessed the Russian president could attempt to test NATO’s strength via a limited assault on an allied country in the coming years.

The Hill was told by a European official that the U.S. briefed allies about Ratcliffe’s trip and that it centered around Ukraine. According to the official, there was no imminent military threat to NATO.