By KYIV. Nov 1 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Congressman Mike Garcia and seven other U.S. House Republicans in a letter to President Joe Biden called for additional funding for Israel to be split from the Ukraine aid package and set conditions for further assistance to Ukraine.
“The unique conditions present in Ukraine and in Israel are such that support for each should be considered separately and on their own merits. Israel and the United States have been allies for nearly 75 years. There is a level of trust and interoperability between our countries that simply does not exist between the U.S. and Ukraine. Furthermore, the situation in Israel is dynamic and threatens to pull the entire region into disarray whereas the fronts in Ukraine have remained largely stagnant for some months,” according to the text of the letter published by Congressman Garcia.
“The conflicts in Ukraine and Israel are only comparable in that both may have been avoided if your administration had adopted a policy of deterrence earlier against Russia and Iran, instead of appeasing our enemies by releasing billions of dollars to known supporters of terror or by suggesting that a ‘minor incursion’ by Russia against Ukraine might be acceptable,” the letter notes.
Congressmen said American taxpayers are tired of funding “a never-ending stalemate in Ukraine with no vision for victory,” while they noted that Israel and Ukraine must win.
Thus, the Republicans said that they had identified twelve conditions that must be met before “single additional dollar is sent to Ukraine.” According to the first point they specified, President Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy must provide the U.S. Congress with “an actual win strategy.”
“Simply stating ‘we are with you until we prevail’ or ‘we must win’ are not win strategies. How does Ukraine prevail and how long is this expected to take?” the letter notes.
They also expect to know the expected cost of implementing this strategy. The third point is, President Biden and Secretary Austin need to clearly update the American people on the status of the war in Ukraine. This includes informing the public on Ukrainian progress to date, outlining causal factors for “the current stalemate,” and providing a status update on the “spring counteroffensive.” President Biden and Secretary Austin must explain why future U.S. investments are necessary. This includes outlining which weapons are being sent and how those specific weapons will help win the war, not just prolong it.
President Biden and Secretary Austin must provide Congress with a list of weapons that have not been sent to Ukraine but would be effective in altering the current stalemate. President Biden and Secretary Austin must explain what would happen if American investments into Ukraine cease.
Point seven states that U.S. Treasury and Commerce need to report to Congress with the level of enforcement and compliance of already approved sanctions against Russia. It is also noted that the U.S. and all NATO members should adopt a full-sanction policy against Russia to include ALL oil, grain, and rare earth minerals.
In addition, congressmen want to hear “Do the U.S. and Ukraine have alignment on the mission objectives regarding Crimea? Does the U.S. believe the desire of Ukraine to reclaim Crimea is realistic?” Another item states that Presidents Biden and Zelenskyy must continue to provide Congress with a full report, to the extent possible, of the weapons systems that have been shipped and used to date.
The final point is that Biden must provide commitments and evidence that his administration is not jeopardizing the schedule and cost of critical domestic weapons programs or the commitments the United States has made to Taiwanese and Israeli support programs.
“Until your administration has satisfactorily met these conditions, funding for Ukraine should not be considered in Congress. For this reason, it is critical that you publicly request that funding for the defense of Israel be considered standalone on its own merits,” congressmen said.
The appeal to Biden was signed by Republican congressmen Mike Garcia, Tom McClintock, Doug LaMalfa, Ralph Norman, Brad Wenstrup, Adrian Smith, Scott Franklin and Dan Meuser.
