Congressman Tom Malinowski was only six years old when he and his mother fled then Communist Poland in search of a better life in the United States. 

As he watches Russian President Vladimir Putin launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a country that shares a border with Poland, Malinowski says he feels the pain of the Ukrainian people.  

“I feel an enormous sense of kinship with the Ukrainians,” Malinowski said. “They want to live in a normal country where you can say what you want, and write what you want, and go where you want — not have to worry about the government throwing you in prison. They want to be able to choose their own leaders and make their own place in the world, and not be subjugated by a ruthless dictator in Moscow (President Putin). 

“For this, they are being subjected to bombs and artillery shells, assassinations and cyber attacks. It is absolutely evil.” 

Congressman Malinowski says coming to America for his mother was a sacrifice. She had to leave behind her home, culture and language. 

“Very much on her mind was the desire to get me out of a Communist country, where there was little hope for us,” he added. 

Many Ukrainians have fled underground to subway stations, huddling inside trains with their families and pets to escape the barrage of attacks on their country. Others have gotten into their cars, attempting to get out of areas that are under fire. In reality, there aren’t many places Ukrainians can escape to as Russia continues to bomb their homeland.

President Joe Biden, most of the world and Malinowski agree, Putin doesn’t believe Ukraine has the right to exist as an independent state. In a bizarre speech to Russians on Thursday, Putin ranted against the West, saying NATO’s been expanding into the East and even suggested none of the former Soviet Republics should be considered independent. 

“He (Putin) believes that the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991 was a huge mistake, and he feels he has a destiny to reverse that mistake even at the cost of tens of thousands of lives,” Malinowski said. 

President Biden on Thursday announced additional sanctions against Russia in hopes of breaking down the country’s economy. Biden also says he’s built a coalition of partners representing more than half of the world’s global economy. That coalition includes 27 members of the European Union. The President is freezing Russian assets in the U.S. including those that belong to Russian billionaires and their families. Experts believe Putin hides his assets under the names of some of these oligarchs.

“These are people who personally gain by the Kremlin’s policies and should share in the pain,” Biden pointed out. 

Biden also says thousands of American troops will be stationed in North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nations to protect them against Russia. However, the President made it clear the U.S. Military is taking a defensive stance, not fighting Russia in Ukraine. 

Malinowski says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky doesn’t want American soldiers in his country. 

“When I met President Zelensky in Ukraine several weeks ago, he said, ‘we don’t want American troops on our soil, we’ll fight to protect our own country,’” Malinowski said. 

Malinowski also says Zelensky told him his country wants more military equipment, ammunition and punitive sanctions against Russia. 

“He (President Zelensky) wanted more sanctions sooner,” Malinowski added. “I think that’s a moot point now. He was grateful for our efforts to bring the Europeans on board with sanctions. He complained rightly about the Nord Stream Gas Pipeline the Germans were building with the Russians, which has since been cancelled.” 

Many Republicans have also said President Biden should have imposed sanctions on Russia much sooner, before his troops forced their way into Ukraine. 

“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatens global stability and continues a policy of expansionism by Putin,” said Tom Kean, Jr., who is running against Malinowski again after losing to him by a slim margin back in 2020. “It is clear past sanctions have done nothing to deter Putin’s aggression. Now is not the time for a piecemeal response. The President, along with our allies, must enact crippling economic sanctions immediately. We stand with the people of Ukraine and their right to sovereignty. Now is a time for strength and strategic action to hold Russia accountable for this act of war.”

“I think we’ve been naive about Russia under Putin for many years,” Malinowski said.  

Malinowski is defending Biden. 

“Over the last several months, I think President Biden has done everything that he could, and done it very well,” Malinowski said.  “He’s built a global coalition ready to impose the harshest economic sanctions on Russia. He has provided military support to Ukraine, enabling the Ukrainians to defend their country more effectively, and he has pushed back in very smart ways on Russian disinformation by declassifying our intelligence about Putin’s expected moves.”

The Russian invasion of Ukraine comes more than six months after the fall of Afghanistan. Back then, Republicans and some Democrats spoke out against the Biden administration’s inability to get all Americans out before the Taliban invasion. Many also believed the President’s lack of planning failed to protect American troops in Afghanistan. Thirteen U.S. Military service members were killed at Kabul’s Airport by a suicide bomber as they took part in a last-minute evacuation effort. 

U.S. Senator Tom Cotton, who represents Arkansas, told Fox News Europeans need to commit more troops to defend themselves against Russia, and that the United States can’t afford to continue to increase its military presence in Europe. 

“Europe needs to commit,” said Cotton, who served as an officer in the U.S. Army from 2005 to 2009. 

Whether sanctions against Russia will work remains to be seen. Putin’s forces continue their assault on Ukraine. Countries like Iran have joined Russia in its disinformation campaign. Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian falsely blames Russia’s invasion on the West because of NATO’s presence in the region. 

“Iran is watching this very closely,” Malinowski said. “China is watching this very closely. 

“They have similar intentions towards their neighbors, and that is one reason why it’s important for the United States, and its allies to defend the principles that Russia’s violated, and impose dear costs.”

When asked Thursday if he plans on asking China to isolate Russia, President Biden responded, “Not prepared to comment on that at this moment.”

Malinowski says it’s time for Republicans and Democrats to show unity in Congress in order to hold Putin accountable. He says lawmakers are considering legislation to strengthen the President’s authority to impose sanctions, and provide whatever resources Ukrainians need so they can defend themselves against Russia.