Mike Johnson, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, said that the next target of Russian President Vladimir Putin could be the Balkans.
Johnson addressed reporters Wednesday evening in the Capitol in Washington on the issue of voting on foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, and he also mentioned the Balkan region.
He insisted he would “take a personal risk” by moving ahead with plans to vote in the House on foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, as fellow Republicans continue to call on him to step down as speaker.
When asked by reporters why he was willing to lose his job just to secure the bailout, Johnson said he always tries to do the right thing.
“My philosophy is to do the right thing. If I act only out of fear of the suggestion that I be removed, I could never do my job,” Johnson said, adding:
“History judges us because of what we do. This is a critical time, a critical time on the world stage. I could make a selfish decision and do something different, but here I am doing what I believe is the right thing. I think that providing legal aid to Ukraine right now is of crucial importance.”
He emphasized that Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran are the “axis of evil” and that they are working in coordination on that front.
“I think Putin would continue to march through Europe if he was allowed to. I think he might go to the Balkans next time. I think he might have a showdown with Poland or one of our NATO allies,” added Johnson.
He said that he would “rather send bullets to Ukraine than American guys”.
“My son will be starting the Naval Academy this fall. This is a live ammunition drill for me as it is for many American families,” Johnson said.
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday also gave strong support to Johnson’s plan to provide additional funding to Ukraine and Israel.
The vote on the aid package is likely to take place on Saturday evening, AA writes.
