Nancy Mace: ‘I don’t want to shed one ounce of American blood on Ukrainian soil’

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (WCSC) – A Lowcountry congressmember says the sanctions President Joe Biden announced don’t go far enough and that no troops should be sent to Ukraine to intervene, as Russian forces advance toward Kyiv.

U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-South Carolina, spoke about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine following a town hall meeting with dozens of constituents in Goose Creek on Thursday.

“I don’t want to shed one ounce of American blood on Ukrainian soil,” Mace said. “Our national security interests are not aligned there, but there are ways we could economically hurt Putin and hurt Russia.”

Mace called the current situation “urgent” and said the sanctions Biden announced today against Russia should be stricter.

“These are serious times,” Mace said. “These are times that, I think, call for more substance. It’s one thing to say we’re going to go toe to toe with Putin and then play footsie. I think that is a problem, and when you just freeze the bank accounts of a few businesses and Russian oligarchs, what are you actually doing?”

The congresswoman said the U.S. is going to need help from its allies across the world to help respond to Russia’s aggression.

“Swift and more painful sanctions, I believe, would have been more effective, but it’s not too late,” Mace said. “We can, I think, respond in a more harsher manner with our allies. It can’t just be us.”

Mace also said people in the Lowcountry can expect higher gas prices and inflation, as well as supply chain issues continuing while the conflict ensues.

However, she said there are many military families living in the area that are holding their breath and watching what happens next.

“We don’t want to see a war,” Mace said. “We don’t want to see that individual put in harm’s way or put in danger, so like many other American families, thousands of families, or folks in the Lowcountry and South Carolina are having those same fears.”

The congresswoman also pointed out that pilots from Joint Base Charleston were also involved in other recent operations in the area, such as the evacuation of Afghanistan, and that the Lowcountry has been heavily involved in military operations overseas.

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