Leaders and members of the House Intelligence Committee on Monday called on the Biden administration to allow Ukraine to attack Russia with U.S.-supplied weapons under certain conditions.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Michael Turner (R-Ohio), Ranking Member Jim Hymes (D-Conn.), Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-Va.) and other members of the committee met with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. , asking the Biden administration to convey its “strong support” to Ukraine’s request in the country’s long-running conflict with Russia.
Most notably, members of the Intelligence Committee want Biden to: To give permission Ukraine to attack Russia with US-provided weapons:
Ukraine’s allies seek permission to use certain weapons provided by the United States to carry out operations against strategic targets within Russia and Russian-controlled territory. According to a May 14 report from Politico, the Biden Administration’s current policy handcuffs Ukraine’s ability to push back Russian forces near Kharkiv with U.S.-made weaponry. Ukrainian authorities have watched for weeks as Russian forces attacked Ukrainian communities from Russian territory with impunity. Ukrainian people are left unable to defend themselves by the Administration’s current policy. It is essential that the Biden Administration grant Ukrainian military leaders the ability to conduct the full range of operations necessary to respond to unprovoked Russian aggression on sovereign soil. [Emphasis added]
Lawmakers also called on the Biden administration to train more F-16 pilots to “replace Ukraine’s aging and declining MiG-29, Su-24, and Su-25 fighter jets.” There is.
“According to the U.S. Air Force, the United States will graduate only 12 pilots from F-16 training by the end of 2024. Graduating 12 Ukrainian pilots is simply not enough. Ukraine is at war. , slots to Ukraine must be prioritized over other foreign countries,” Turner, Himes, and other senators wrote.
“To address this persistent and unrelenting threat, our allies have requested seven or more additional Patriot squadrons to protect major metropolitan areas in Ukraine,” the lawmakers added.
In their letter to Austin, they conclude:
The Ukrainian people continue to demonstrate a strong will to resist Russia’s efforts to seize sovereign Ukrainian territory by force. Recent reports indicate that aid supplies to Ukraine are not arriving in sufficient quantities and in a timely manner, exacerbating the dire situation there. Ukrainian officials expressed grave concern, saying the situation was worse than ever. As our friends in Ukraine continue to defend their territory from Russia’s brutal attacks and invasions, we ask you to join us in rapidly mobilizing resources.
NATO allies are close to sending troops to Ukraine to train the Ukrainian military. new york times report In May.
Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said NATO will eventually send trainers to Ukraine. Mr Zelensky also said: Said He insisted that NATO aircraft should shoot down Russian missiles in Ukrainian airspace.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken waxed After waxing poetic about securing “democracy” during a speech in Ukraine in mid-May, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky Power Even though his term expired on May 20th.
Sean Moran is a policy reporter at Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
