WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 25: U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) speaks during a hearing before Senate Foreign Relations Committee July 25, 2018 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The committee held a hearing on "An Update on American Diplomacy to Advance Our National Security Strategy." (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY — The White House has requested from Congress $10 billion in aid for Ukraine, now mired in war with Russia. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said he is not opposed to selling weapons to Ukraine, but giving weapons away expands the U.S. debt, which he says is the biggest threat to national security.
Visiting Utah, Paul spoke to Inside Sources host Boyd Matheson on KSL NewsRadio about war and debt.
“I’m out here [in Utah] mainly to endorse and campaign for my friend Mike Lee. When people ask me who am I closest to ideologically in the Senate without question, it’s Mike Lee,” said Paul.
“Obviously, we’re keeping a close eye on everything happening in Ukraine. . . . You’ve often talked about the fact that the debt and the deficit spending we continue to have is also a form of national security that we’ve been ignoring for too long,” Boyd said.
“Yeah, I think — without question — our debt is probably the greatest threat to our national security,” Paul said. “People ask me, ‘Whose fault is it? Republicans or Democrats?’ And my answer is, yes.”
Paul said he believes the federal budget should be treated the same way as the family budget.
“If you don’t have money for your family, and you spend it unwisely, that’s just not good for your family,” he said.
“What is the thing that we’re missing? What is the conversation that we’re not having about Russia and Ukraine?” Boyd asked.
“I think it’s important to know that nothing happens in a vacuum and that not everything is dependent on the US,” Paul said. “Ukraine is important. I think it’s a terrible thing that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has invaded the sovereign nation.
” . . . Most people in our country and in Congress are acknowledging we’re not going to send troops there [Ukraine] to fight a war. On the positive side of things . . . I think Europe is actually coalesced much more than Putin anticipated. I think Putin has miscalculated the will of the Ukrainian people.”
Paul said he foresees a protracted war or insurgency in Ukraine. With the daily killing of Russian soldiers, Putin will come to know the war he started was a mistake, he said, adding it’s not the responsibility of American taxpayers to finance Ukraine’s protection against Russian forces.
“I’ve been open to selling arms to the Ukrainian resistance, but I’m not a big fan of just giving away things that we don’t have the money for,” Paul said.
Inside Sources with Boyd Matheson can be heard weekdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on KSL NewsRadio. Users can find the show on the KSL NewsRadio website and app.