A minority group of 19 Republican lawmakers has urged the Biden administration to stop sending “unrestrained” aid and weapons to Ukraine amid the ongoing war.
“We are deeply concerned that the trajectory of U.S. aid to the Ukrainian war effort threatens further escalation and lacks much-needed strategic clarity,” reads the letter. It comes a day after the U.S. Department of Defense announced an additional security assistance package for Ukraine worth $325 million.
“Our national and economic security demand an alternative. Unrestrained U.S. aid for Ukraine must come to an end, and we will adamantly oppose all future aid packages unless they are linked to a clear diplomatic strategy designed to bring this war to a rapid conclusion,” the lawmakers wrote.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine over a year ago, the U.S. has committed over $35 billion in security assistance that has included artillery, missiles, small arms, radar systems, drones, armored vehicles, rounds of ammunition, and body armor, among others.
The lawmakers also said that the U.S. president should prioritize more diplomatic efforts to advocate for a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
“There are appropriate ways in which the U.S. can support the Ukrainian people, but unlimited arms supplies in support of an endless war is not one of them. Our national interests, and those of the Ukrainian people, are best served by incentivizing the negotiations that are urgently needed to bring this conflict to a resolution,” the letter concludes.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
