Hello,

Russia has invaded the sovereign nation of Ukraine.

It is time now for the United States, along with our allies and other like-minded nations, to stand firm with the people of Ukraine against this unprovoked and unjustified act of war. We must employ the harshest economic sanctions, diplomatic isolation, and punitive measures available.

On my family’s farm in rural northwest Iowa, sometimes a banty rooster would become overly aggressive. We'd soon have him in a soup. Putin reminds me of that rooster.

We have not seen war of this nature in Eurasia since the 1940’s. America must once again be united against this kind of authoritarianism.

Unfortunately, we are still waiting for the GOP to state which side they are on – with a dictator in Moscow or democracy in Kyiv. I wonder, will my opponent Senator Chuck Grassley once again parrot Trump or is he smarter than that?

Maybe this is the moment where Republicans will finally break with Trump and Fox News. I am not holding my breath.

With nearly 4 decades in the U.S. Navy, I know the cost of war. We must do everything we can to achieve peace, but let’s not encourage despots, either.

Please keep the people of Ukraine in your thoughts.

Mike Franken, VADM, U.S. Navy (ret.)