周日，迪克·德宾为拜登政府不为波兰向乌克兰交付米格-29战斗机提供便利的决定进行了辩护。
“我们还有其他方法来提供地对空导弹和防空系统，以阻止俄罗斯的空袭，”德宾说。，告诉美国广播公司“本周”主播乔治·斯特凡诺普洛斯。“有其他方式可以做到这一点，这与北约联盟一致，不会危及扩大到第三次世界大战甚至更糟。”
乌克兰总统弗拉基米尔·泽伦斯基(Volodymyr Zelenskyy)周三向国会发表虚拟演讲，恳求美国提供额外的军事援助、进一步的制裁和在乌克兰上空设立禁飞区，以阻止俄罗斯的入侵。泽伦斯基还要求美国协助从波兰向乌克兰运送米格-29战斗机，但拜登政府坚决反对这一要求，坚称这是一个可能导致第三次世界大战的进攻性举动。
两党都支持派遣飞机，民主党国会议员也表示支持，包括参议院多数党领袖查克·舒默。
“我们要求将三分之一的波兰空军派往乌克兰，”参议院多数党党鞭德宾补充道。
虽然弗拉基米尔·普京总统没有显示出让步的迹象，但德宾说，乌克兰也没有显示出让步的迹象，美国坚定地支持乌克兰阻止俄罗斯入侵的努力。
德宾在谈到普京时说:“看在上帝的份上，他现在正在做的杀害无辜平民和儿童的不顾一切的事情，他将因此在历史上永远留下污点。”。
根据白宫的消息，美国总统乔·拜登(Joe Biden)和中国习近平主席周五上午进行了通话，拜登明确表示，如果中国与俄罗斯结盟，将会产生“影响和后果”。
“现在不仅对俄罗斯，还可能对中国实施更严厉的经济制裁，怎么样?”斯特凡诺普洛斯按下。“我们知道拜登总统周五与习主席通了电话。中国似乎还没有准备好放弃对普京的支持，至少现在还没有。”
德宾告诉斯特凡诺普洛斯，Xi必须“决定他在历史上的地位和中国在世界上的地位”，他认为拜登在电话中明确表达了这一点，但没有回答他是否认为美国应该对中国实施制裁。
“如果(中国)成为普京和他在乌克兰的野蛮行为的一部分，他将冒着败坏自己国家名声的风险，”德宾说。
斯特凡诺普洛斯就共和党批评拜登向独裁者寻求石油的问题向德宾施压，同时将高油价归咎于俄罗斯的入侵，而他本可以提高美国的石油产量。
“我们最近在国内看到的事情之一，当然是通货膨胀，全面的高油价，”Stephanopoulos强调说。“拜登总统表示，对普京的制裁至少是导致价格上涨的部分原因。但是我们的下一位嘉宾，参议员巴拉索，已经接受了这个挑战。”
参议员约翰·巴拉索(John Barrasso)周二表示，“拜登宁愿求助于伊朗和委内瑞拉那样的独裁者，也不愿反对气候精英，他们主宰着民主党和他的总统任期的能源政策。所以现在他试图把责任推给弗拉基米尔·普京。”
当被要求做出回应时，德宾表示，拜登政府正在努力减少切断俄罗斯石油的影响，指责拜登努力阻止普京通胀是“完全错误的”，他说“其他国家正在经历同样的通胀。”
拜登历史性的最高法院提名人凯坦吉·布朗·杰克逊法官的确认听证会将于周一开始。参议院司法委员会主席德宾将主持听证会。
Stephanopoulos向Durbin询问了最近共和党对杰克逊的攻击，包括参议员Josh Hawley的一系列推文。这错误地暗示了杰克逊对儿童色情制品态度软弱。《华盛顿邮报》的事实审查员格伦·凯斯勒给出了霍利的断言“三个皮诺曹。”
德宾猛烈抨击霍利的攻击，称其不准确和不公平，并说杰克逊受到的审查比他能想到的任何人都多。
“他说的没有事实根据，他是共和党内的边缘分子，”德宾说。“这个人在去年1月6日对袭击国会大厦的杀人暴徒挥拳相向。他没有自己认为的可信度。”
Durbin defends Biden administration decision on fighter jet deliveries to Ukraine
Sen. Dick Durbin on Sunday defended the Biden administration's decision to not facilitate the delivery of MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine from Poland.
"There are other ways for us to provide surface to air missiles and air defenses that will keep the Russians at bay in terms of their aerial attack," Durbin, D-Ill., told ABC "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos. "There are other ways to do that that are consistent with the NATO alliance and would not jeopardize expanding this into World War III or even worse."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a virtual address to Congress on Wednesday, pleading with the U.S. for additional military aid, further sanctions and a no-fly zone over Ukraine to stop the Russian invasion. Zelenskyy also asked the U.S. to assist with the delivery of MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine from Poland, but the Biden administration has held firm against the request, insisting that is an offensive move that could lead to World War III.
There is bipartisan support for sending planes, with Democratic members of Congress in favor, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
"We're asking for one-third of the Polish Air Force to be sent into Ukraine," Durbin, the Senate majority whip, added.
While President Vladimir Putin has shown no signs of backing down, Durbin said Ukraine has shown no signs of backing down either and the U.S. firmly stands with the Ukrainian effort to stop the Russian invasion.
"The desperate things that he's doing now killing innocent civilians and children, for goodness sakes, he will have a stained name in history forever for this," Durbin said of Putin.
President Joe Biden and China's President Xi Jinping spoke Friday morning and Biden made clear the "implications and consequences" if China aligns with Russia, according to the White House readout.
"How about tougher economic sanctions right now, not only on Russia, but also potentially for China?" Stephanopoulos pressed. "We know that President Biden spoke with President Xi on Friday. It doesn't appear that China, at least not yet, is ready to back off their support for Putin."
Durbin told Stephanopoulos that Xi must "decide his place in history and China's place in the world" and he thinks Biden made that clear in the call, but did not answer whether he thinks the U.S. should implement sanctions on China.
“If (China) is going to be part of Putin and his barbaric conduct in Ukraine, he's going to run the risk of discrediting his own nation,” Durbin said.
Stephanopoulos pressed Durbin on GOP criticism that Biden is turning to dictators for oil while blaming high gas prices on the Russian invasion when he could ramp up American oil production.
"One of the things we've seen at home recently is, of course, inflation, higher gas prices across the board," Stephanopoulos pressed. "President Biden has said that the sanctions on Putin are at least part of the issue there for causing the rise in the prices. But our next guest, Senator Barrasso, has taken that on."
Sen. John Barrasso said Tuesday that "Biden would rather turn to dictators like those in Iran and those in Venezuela rather than turn against the climate elitists who dictate the energy policy of that Democratic Party and of his presidency. So now he's trying to pass the buck to Vladimir Putin."
Asked to respond, Durbin said the Biden administration is working to reduce the impact of cutting off Russian oil and that it is "completely wrong" to blame Biden's efforts to stop Putin for inflation, saying "other countries are going through the same inflation."
Confirmation hearings for Biden's historic Supreme Court nominee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, will begin Monday. Durbin, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, will preside over the hearings.
Stephanopoulos asked Durbin about recent GOP attacks on Jackson, including a series of tweets from Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., that incorrectly suggest Jackson is soft on child pornography. Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler gave Hawley's assertion"Three Pinocchios."
Durbin slammed Hawley's attacks, calling them inaccurate and unfair, and said Jackson has been scrutinized more than any person he could think of.
"There's no truth to what he says and he's part of the fringe within the Republican Party," Durbin said. "This was a man who was fist-bumping the murderous mob that descended on the Capitol on Jan. 6 of the last year. He doesn't have the credibility he thinks he does."
