Cotton: If We Don't 'Bring the Hammer Down' on Putin, It Will Tell Xi Jinping He Can Do the Same Thing in Taiwan

Thursday, during an appearance on FNC’s “The Ingraham Angle,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) warned if the United States was not successful in turning Russia into a “pariah state” and isolate it for the Ukraine invasion, it could send a green light to China’s Xi Jinping to invade Taiwan.

Cotton was asked by FNC host Laura Ingraham if the the U.S. lackadaisical approach to the southern border situation was a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Well, it’s told Vladimir Putin over the last six months that he can build up 200,000 troops on Ukraine’s border and invade,” he said. “And if we don’t bring the hammer down on Vladimir Putin, if we don’t turn Russia into a pariah state, and isolate them diplomatically, and economically and financially, it’s going to tell Xi Jinping, he can probably do the same thing in Taiwan. After all, he’s on the other side of the world.”

“Taiwan doesn’t have the same kind of ties to Europe that Ukraine does,” Cotton added. “His economy is 10 times larger than Russia’s. It’s simply creating permission around the world for our adversaries to try to press our – against our interests, try to undercut our partners and our allies, and ultimately put our own safety and freedom and prosperity at risk.”

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