Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) seems to believe Russia’s reasons for its invasion (and partial slaughter) of Ukraine could be admirable ones—even if he claims he doesn’t support it himself. “You could argue the countries they’ve attacked were part of Russia,” Paul told Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tuesday. Blinken blasted even the thought of it, saying it was the “fundamental right” of countries that bordered Russia to decide their own fate. Paul decided the best course of action was to double down, pointing to some of the countries’ past history as Soviet states “since the 1920s.” “There is no justification for the invasion, I’m not saying that. But there are reasons for the invasion,” Paul said.