Q: Why did you support the recent national security package?

A: Two years ago, Russia launched the largest war in Europe since World War II. If not stopped, the war will expand until American allies and U.S. troops are dragged into the middle. I want to prevent that from happening. So, with my support the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan package to strengthen our depleted U.S. military stockpile and to send a message to authoritarian regimes around the world. Dictators like Vladimir Putin who years ago lamented the fall of the Soviet empire as the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century” can’t be ignored or appeased. Appeasement encourages more aggression. Throughout our history, American leadership has helped secure freedom from tyranny, from defeating the Nazi regime in World War II to neutralizing Soviet control over Eastern Europe and Central Asia that restored sovereignty to 15 independent countries after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

This month we celebrate Presidents’ Day. February is the birth month of four U.S. presidents, including the nation’s 40th president, Ronald Reagan. Through a policy of peace through strength, President Reagan steered an end to the Cold War by leading a global campaign for freedom and rolling back communism. Putin wants to restore the Soviet empire. The United States of America must remain steadfast in our support of Ukrainian sovereignty and a strong national defense. Consider what happens when the U.S. steps back. When President Obama refused lethal aid for Ukraine, Russia kept territory it invaded in Crimea and the Donbas in 2014. And within eight years, Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in an unprovoked attack to take-over an independent nation and wipeout the Ukrainian identity. If the United States sits on the sidelines and surrenders Ukraine to Russia, we’re opening the door for war when Russia continues its expansionist quest to restore the Soviet Bloc and alignment with U.S. adversaries. I’ve warned President Biden America can’t afford to let Russia declare victory.

Q: Does the Senate bill send $60 billion to Ukraine?

A: No. In fact, about 80 percent of that money will be spent at home in the United States. The bottom line is this package funds national security to protect Americans. Much of the money in the bill goes to beef up U.S. military, not Ukraine’s. The U.S. military stockpile and munitions capacity needs to be replenished whether or not we help Ukraine. Already, more than $340 million from previous Ukraine bills were spent in Iowa. The Iowa Army Ammunition Plant loads the explosives into shells, including the 155mm artillery ammunition. The patriotic workforce at the Iowa plant has already doubled production and these modernization investments will boost its ability to expand production even more if needed to keep our country safe. As Iowa’s U.S. Senator, I’m proud of Iowa’s role in keeping America the “arsenal of democracy.”

The U.S. ranks 15th in aid to Ukraine relative to the size of our economy. We’ve been spending about five percent of our annual U.S. military budget to arm Ukraine. Our European allies have committed double that amount of aid to Ukraine, but in the short term Europe can’t fill the gap in military assistance if the U.S. bows out. The Ukrainian army is running out of shells. Putin would love nothing more than for the U.S. to turn a blind eye to his imperialistic view of history. Thousands of Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied areas in eastern Ukraine have been forcibly deported to Russia. Members of Putin’s regime boast how these children are being brainwashed and indoctrinated to Russian identity. That meets the definition of genocide. We know what Putin wants: return of the Soviet Empire across Central and Eastern Europe. A century ago, the Soviets engineered a man-made famine in Ukraine that took millions of innocent lives to force its people into submission as a model Soviet republic. Putin espouses this authoritarian mindset. For two years and counting, his war in Ukraine and dreams of Russian expansionism have resurrected atrocities of history. Putin’s warpath in occupied territories targets Ukrainian Christians for their faith and religious beliefs. An analysis by the Institute for the Study of War found that the “most common victims of Russian religious persecution after Ukrainian Orthodox are Protestants, particularly evangelical Baptists.” Last November, I spoke about my meetings with Ukrainian religious leaders and called upon freedom-loving Americans and people of faith to stand in solidarity against Russia’s brutal invasion.

I understand why Americans and many Iowans wonder how much longer it will take to end Russia’s horrific war. It’s tempting to think we can ignore it and hope it won’t affect the American people down the line. We can’t afford to make that mistake.

Sen. Grassley serves as co-chairman of the Senate Baltic Freedom Caucus.