As some Republican lawmakers threaten to block future aid to Ukraine, a small group of Republican Party members who traveled to the country this week promised to consider a list of important weapons and other crucial needs during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, sources familiar with the situation said. the meeting to CNN .
The meeting, set against the backdrop of the one-year anniversary of the invasion of Russia, is a clear example of how distant GOP members are on how to handle US involvement in the war going forward.
The divide has only deepened since the Republican Party took over the House in January, even as Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy has carefully tried to remain neutral on the issue.
It also comes at a time when President Joe Biden is facing increasing pressure to provide Ukrainians with more advanced weaponry that some of his own military commanders have privately acknowledged could help Ukraine win the war.
Zelensky, who has met with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul and four other GOP members, told the group he planned to send them a weapons list, which includes F-16 fighter jets, which he believes needed to hasten the end of the war with Russia.
A top US military commander reiterated to a group of Republican lawmakers that F-16 fighter jets and long-range missiles were imperative to serving the Ukrainian cause, one of the sources said.
“There is broad bipartisan support among the United States, our NATO and European allies to support Ukraine against Russian aggression,” McCaul said during his congressional delegation to Ukraine.
“We had a very productive meeting with President Zelensky. We mostly talk about what his needs are when it comes to winning this war. And he is providing this delegation with the list of weapons Ukraine needs to win.”
“He said we’ll stay here as long as it takes. And while that’s true, I hope it doesn’t take that long to win this conflict. And to that end, we have strong bipartisan support to give Ukraine everything it needs to win,” added McCaul.
That position, however, could become increasingly untenable as upcoming spending struggles, congressional hearings and the 2024 presidential race firmly pose the question of adding to the $113 billion the US has already sent to Ukraine — and some Republicans back away from the prospect of additional help.
Several GOP lawmakers are already preparing for that battle and, in particular, trying to figure out how to fend off opposition within their own party.
Inside the inner maneuver
Behind the scenes, a plan begins to take shape among Republicans who see Ukraine’s ultimate victory as the only way forward: Increase pressure on Biden to shake off his reluctance and send weapons like F-16 fighter jets and more long-range missiles. reach as they cracked down on their party’s opposition by using a majority in the House to highlight Russia’s war atrocities.
Some GOP lawmakers are already dismissing claims from fellow Republicans that US funding and guns aren’t going where they should be — even as Republicans on the House Oversight Committee made clear Wednesday (22) in a letter to Biden administration officials, who plan to investigate federal funding for Ukraine to examine potential “waste, fraud and abuse” in spending.
McCarthy, meanwhile, hasn’t made a decision on which position he will take. But McCaul, in assuring Zelensky that he will consider sending additional weapons and aid to Ukraine, did so with McCarthy’s private backing, a person familiar with the discussions told CNN.
McCarthy also supported House Oversight Speaker James Comer’s investigation into the potential misuse of past US aid, said a second person familiar with the talks.
McCarthy also approved that Comer send the letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power, seeking documents and information to understand how departments and the agency are conducting the oversight of these funds.
Division on Supply of F-16 Fighters
Zelenky’s specific goal of obtaining US F-16 fighters has become an increasingly contentious issue.
Both Biden and General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have already opposed such a move due to concerns about how it could escalate the conflict.
But the argument against supplying F-16s is becoming more difficult as senior military leaders have privately acknowledged to Republican Party lawmakers in recent days that these weapons would help Ukraine win the war, according to a family font.
Last week, General Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander for Europe and head of the US European Command, told 10 Republican Party lawmakers at a closed-door meeting that F-16s would help Ukraine win.
Asked if that was the case, Cavoli said “yes”, according to the source, confirming details first reported by the newspaper Politico.
While Cavoli’s comments go beyond what top US officials have said publicly, they also reflect differing views within the Pentagon – notably splitting with the more cautious approach of Milley, who has long been wary of any move that could spark an escalation. Russian, according to several sources familiar with the matter.
As pressure mounts to supply these weapons, McCaul plans to hold a hearing this spring into alleged Russian war crimes, a McCaul spokesperson told the CNN .
In addition to McCaul, GOP Representatives Darrell Issa of California, Keith Self of Texas, Max Miller of Ohio, Jake Ellzey of Texas, as well as Margaret Kibben, House Chaplain, were part of the delegation.
Source: CNN Brasil
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