Sen. Blackburn: We 'don't know' how many Americans trapped in Ukraine, Putin emboldened by 'weak' Biden

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Sen. Marsha Blackburn says Putin is emboldened by a 'weak' Biden

Sen. Marsha Blackburn says Putin is emboldened by a 'weak' Biden

ORLANDO, Fla. – Sen. Marsha Blackburn is expressing fears that many Americans could be trapped in Ukraine as Russia continues its swift advance into the country and says the Biden administration needs to portray strength in order to stop Vladimir Putin. 

During an interview with Fox News Digital at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Blackburn, R-Tenn., who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the Biden administration is too late in its response toward Russia and should have acted against Putin’s aggression "last fall."

"You know, we tried to get the administration to do things last fall. That was the time to begin sanctions, economic sanctions, continued sanctions on Nord Stream, sanction their oligarchs, sanction their energy sector, deal with their banking systems, and the [Biden] administration didn't want to do that," she said. "They felt like they could kind of talk their way through it. And I think Joe Biden has realized 'old buddy old pal,' is not going to work."

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Blackburn said Putin’s decision to fully invade Ukraine is a direct result of his perception that Biden is "weak" after the U.S. rolled back sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline last year, handing Putin what he wanted.

President Biden delivers remarks on Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Feb. 24, 2022. (REUTERS/Leah Millis)

"So what does [Putin] do? He looks at this, and he says Joe Biden is weak. He's not paying attention. He's not sending a strong, coordinated diplomatic message," Blackburn said. "So I've got a clear runway, and off I go, and I think we're all frightened for Ukraine."

Early Friday, it was reported that Russians entered the Obolon district of Kyiv, the capital. Ukrainian citizens have been advised to make Molotov cocktails as the Russian forces advance deeper in the country. 

Blackburn told Fox News Digital that she is concerned that we "do not know" how many Americans remain inside Ukraine, as the Russian troops advance. She noted that Tennessee’s many religious organizations and churches throughout the state have active ministries in Ukraine, so there are definitely U.S. citizens remaining in the war-torn state. 

"We do not know how many Tennesseans are there. … We've got so many of the religious organizations and churches in our state that are very active in ministries in Ukraine, and we wanted to get that information in their hands so that people that they are supporting that these congregations are supporting and people that have relatives that are there would be able to quickly get that information in case you had an advance like you had [Wednesday] night in Ukraine."

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022, in Orlando, Florida.  (AP Photo/John Raoux)

She told Fox News Digital that her office had about 2,000 cases of Tennesseans wanting to evacuate during the botched U.S. troop withdrawal out of Afghanistan and that many of those cases remain open. The senator plans to call on the State Department to ask for numbers of Americans, and specifically Tennesseans, inside Ukraine so as not to repeat the issues of evacuating U.S. citizens during the Afghanistan exit. 

In addition, the senator said that especially in light of recent events, topping the list of most important issues for Republicans going into the 2022 midterm elections are national security, crime and inflation.

"You know, we're hearing a lot about three issues the border crime in the streets, and we're hearing a lot about inflation," she said. "I would couple with that the security issue, national security issues, and that's really the border is where your foreign policy and your domestic security issues can meet. And people are quite concerned about crime and gangs and human trafficking, sex trafficking and drug trafficking. Every town is a border town."

Blackburn also didn’t directly rule out a potential 2024 presidential run in response to a question from Fox News Digital about speculation swirling due to her planned headliner fundraisers in early voting states Iowa and New Hampshire in the coming months.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., questions head of Instagram Adam Mosseri during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

"I am working for the people of Tennessee, and I'm working to make certain we take the majority back in 2022. And in Iowa, I will be there to help and support Sen. Grassley and the members of Congress," Blackburn said in response. 

"We've got great female members there. We're really proud of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who will give the Republican response to the State of the Union. And in New Hampshire, we're going in to help campaigns and the state party, and then we’re going into other states for other colleagues to bolster the vote to make sure that women know the Republican Party. We’re the party of parents, we are the party that is fighting [critical race theory], we're fighting ‘woke’ in the schools. And this is something that is vital, a message that is vital for us to get out."

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