Unified Congress Says Obama Must Send Arms to Ukraine
Congress has already given President Obama the authority to send lethal military aid to Ukraine, and they say it's time for him to act.
The Obama administration is considering sending weapons to Ukraine, and on Thursday members of Congress banded together to urge the president to move quickly in favor of more military assistance.
In December, a bill authorizing President Barack Obama to send up to $350 million in military aid to help Ukraine combat pro-Russian separatists unanimously passed the House and Senate.
Now both Republicans and Democrats say it’s time for the president to act, making good not only on their show of support but also the 21-year-old Budapest Memorandum in which Ukraine agreed to give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for security assurances from the U.S. and the U.K.
Speaking with reporters Thursday, 12 members of the Senate Armed Services Committee said sanctions and the $120 million in non-lethal aid have proven to not be enough to halt the Kremlin and its proxies fighting in Ukraine.
“Defensive lethal assistance would not allow the Ukrainian military to defeat the Russian military in full-fledged war, but it will raise risks and costs Russia will incur to continue its offensive,” said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Armed Services Committee.
Such assistance would include anti-tank equipment, radar and armed vehicles to help Ukrainians defend themselves against rebels armed with Russian rockets systems, tanks and personnel in a year-long conflict that has left more than 5,300 people dead.
Several senators warned that not acting more forcefully would seriously undermine the credibility of the U.S. They say countries living in Russia’s shadow already fear they can’t count on U.S. support should Russia decide to continue what they say is an effort to rebuild the Soviet Union. Others doubt the U.S. would act on either its promises or its threats.
“What kind of message are we sending Iran as they continue their race toward nuclear weapons?” said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. “What kind of message are we sending to our allies in the Middle East about the trustworthiness of American promises?”
A delegation of deputies from the newly elected Ukrainian parliament was in Washington on Thursday to attend the National Prayer Breakfast with the president and faith leaders. Visiting with lawmakers on the Hill, they pleaded for support.
Parliamentarian Pavlo Unhurian said the months of demonstrations and conflict that began with the Euromaidan protests in November 2013, along with attacks from pro-Russian rebels have left the Ukrainian army depleted.
“Now we have very, very, very many patriotic people that can be officers and soldiers but we need military weapons,” Unhurian said.
Proponents for sending lethal equipment seem to have the backing of Obama’s nominee for secretary of defense, Ashton Carter, who in his confirmation hearings earlier this week said he supported doing so. And the White House itself seems to be moving towards reversing its long-held opposition to giving Ukraine weapons, as Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry and outgoing Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel all head to meetings with European allies in Kiev, Brussels and Munich.
“But Ukraine has every right to defend itself and we are in fact providing security assistance to help Ukraine in this effort," Biden said in an interview with European publications Wednesday.
The U.S. delegation is expected to face resistance not only from Moscow, which officially denies it has sent its soldiers to fight in eastern Ukraine, but also France and Germany, which would prefer more sanctions and continued diplomatic efforts over military aid.
https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/02/...to-ukraine
Congress has already given President Obama the authority to send lethal military aid to Ukraine, and they say it's time for him to act.
The Obama administration is considering sending weapons to Ukraine, and on Thursday members of Congress banded together to urge the president to move quickly in favor of more military assistance.
In December, a bill authorizing President Barack Obama to send up to $350 million in military aid to help Ukraine combat pro-Russian separatists unanimously passed the House and Senate.
Now both Republicans and Democrats say it’s time for the president to act, making good not only on their show of support but also the 21-year-old Budapest Memorandum in which Ukraine agreed to give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for security assurances from the U.S. and the U.K.
Speaking with reporters Thursday, 12 members of the Senate Armed Services Committee said sanctions and the $120 million in non-lethal aid have proven to not be enough to halt the Kremlin and its proxies fighting in Ukraine.
“Defensive lethal assistance would not allow the Ukrainian military to defeat the Russian military in full-fledged war, but it will raise risks and costs Russia will incur to continue its offensive,” said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Armed Services Committee.
Such assistance would include anti-tank equipment, radar and armed vehicles to help Ukrainians defend themselves against rebels armed with Russian rockets systems, tanks and personnel in a year-long conflict that has left more than 5,300 people dead.
Several senators warned that not acting more forcefully would seriously undermine the credibility of the U.S. They say countries living in Russia’s shadow already fear they can’t count on U.S. support should Russia decide to continue what they say is an effort to rebuild the Soviet Union. Others doubt the U.S. would act on either its promises or its threats.
“What kind of message are we sending Iran as they continue their race toward nuclear weapons?” said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. “What kind of message are we sending to our allies in the Middle East about the trustworthiness of American promises?”
A delegation of deputies from the newly elected Ukrainian parliament was in Washington on Thursday to attend the National Prayer Breakfast with the president and faith leaders. Visiting with lawmakers on the Hill, they pleaded for support.
Parliamentarian Pavlo Unhurian said the months of demonstrations and conflict that began with the Euromaidan protests in November 2013, along with attacks from pro-Russian rebels have left the Ukrainian army depleted.
“Now we have very, very, very many patriotic people that can be officers and soldiers but we need military weapons,” Unhurian said.
Proponents for sending lethal equipment seem to have the backing of Obama’s nominee for secretary of defense, Ashton Carter, who in his confirmation hearings earlier this week said he supported doing so. And the White House itself seems to be moving towards reversing its long-held opposition to giving Ukraine weapons, as Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry and outgoing Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel all head to meetings with European allies in Kiev, Brussels and Munich.
“But Ukraine has every right to defend itself and we are in fact providing security assistance to help Ukraine in this effort," Biden said in an interview with European publications Wednesday.
The U.S. delegation is expected to face resistance not only from Moscow, which officially denies it has sent its soldiers to fight in eastern Ukraine, but also France and Germany, which would prefer more sanctions and continued diplomatic efforts over military aid.
https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/02/...to-ukraine
