Barrasso Says Putin Can Smell Weakness, Challenges Biden to ‘Use the Power We Have’
Senator John Barrasso recently appeared on Fox News to offer his opinions on the summit involving President Biden and Vladimir Putin. Both presidents are meeting with each other Wednesday to discuss ways in which to work together. Some Republican lawmakers, however, have urged President Biden to confront Putin on a series of attacks that have targeted US Diplomats.
Senator John Barrasso is one of them.
"They just asked President Biden if he trusted Vladimir Putin," Barrasso stated. "I don't trust Vladimir Putin. Joe Biden might; I don't. Putin is cunning, opportunistic, he is aggressive, he is a bully. He respects strength, not statements. And I'm looking forward to President Biden actually pointing out America's strengths, and a commitment to use those."
Barrasso stated that those are some things he would like the president to discuss, but they're not the "big issues."
"Putin's strengths are the military," Barrasso said. "His strength is energy and cyber. We need to address each of those and we can start with cyber."
When asked where he thought Biden and Putin could find common ground, Barrasso made no bones about the fact that he thinks Biden needs to establish America as the dominant power in military, energy, and cyber.
"We have the capacity, in areas of Putin's strengths, to be able to dominate. The president needs to show his commitment to use the power that we have in the United States because Putin can smell weakness. Not just is Putin watching these discussions; also, China is watching. North Korea is watching. The Ayatollah's are watching. People around the world are watching to see how President Biden reacts.
Barrasso then offered that he thinks President Biden should focus on America's energy export.
"I think the best thing that we could do is to show our dominance with energy," he stated. "We have become, over the last number of years, dominate in energy around the world. Now we see President Biden agreeing to this 'Putin Pipeline.' At the same time, he shuts down the Keystone Pipeline. I think that's not a show of strength; that's a show of weakness, and that's where my position is very different from President Biden's."