MAGA Senator Draws Red Line for Withdrawing US From NATO

Senator Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, issued a stern warning to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in an opinion piece published by The American Conservative on Saturday.

"If Ukraine is in NATO, the United States should be out, plain and simple. We must draw a redline with NATO: You can have Ukraine or the United States," Lee wrote.

The senator's comments followed after NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg's recent statements, which came just after the two-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"Ukraine is now nearer to NATO than ever before. We are assisting in improving your armed forces' compatibility with our allies. We are opening a new Joint Center for Analysis, Training and Education in Poland together. We're also strengthening our political relationship through the NATO-Ukraine Council, where we consult and make decisions together," Stoltenberg said. "Ukraine's enlistment in NATO isn't a question of if, but rather when."

Russia has recently made a series of advances in eastern Ukraine, while Kyiv has struggled on the battlefield amid a shortage of ammunition and a slowing of military aid from its allies.

Ukrainian military aid from the U.S. remains stalled in Congress, where President Joe Biden's $60 billion aid package has failed to advance amid months of partisan quarrels.

Biden reiterated the White House's unwavering support for Ukraine during his State of the Union address Thursday and urged Republican lawmakers to sign off on sending additional assistance to Kyiv.

Lee, a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, believes Ukraine's NATO membership could "trigger the next world war."

"[Vladimir] Putin continues to warn us that Ukraine in NATO could be the match that sparks WWIII. As a constitutional realist, it seems to me that when the enemy gives us a clear warning, we should act with a degree of prudence, not double down without a second thought simply to anger the bad guy," Lee wrote on Saturday. "If we are serious about preserving U.S. hegemony, at no point can our nation be forced by a dependent Europe to accept the risk of nuclear escalation."

Newsweek reached out to Lee via email and NATO via its press office website Saturday morning. This story will be updated with provided statements.

Several European countries have raised concerns that Russia's war against Ukraine could eventually lead to a greater conflict between Moscow and NATO. The military alliance has taken several steps to bolster its defense systems along its eastern border in recent months, including conducting trainings for over 90,000 troops from all 32 of the member states in countries that share a border with Russia, such as the Baltic nations and Poland.

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have been some of the loudest members of NATO that have urged the alliance to prepare for Russia's next offensive in the region.

In his opinion piece, Lee contended that Russia's invasion was due in large part to the possible NATO expansion for both Ukraine and Georgia, which the senator called "a redline that Putin drew as far back as 2008."

"Rather than taking such warnings seriously, the U.S. and European capitals continued to beat the drum of expansion by touting the foolish desires of the 'rules-based international order' above realism. Just because we say it does not make it so in the eyes of the Kremlin," Lee wrote.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin has accused the West of prolonging the war in Ukraine by fortifying Kyiv's military capabilities, warning late last month that NATO would be crossing a line if allied members send their own troops to fight in Ukraine. While no NATO nation has indicated plans to do so, French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters last month that "nothing should be excluded" in trying to "prevent Russia from winning this war."