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WASHINGTON (AP) — A handful of congressional Republicans met Tuesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a sign of continued U.S. help at the same time as hard-right members of the celebration vow to dam future assist to the embattled nation.
The newly appointed chairman of the Home Overseas Affairs Committee led a small delegation to Kyiv to fulfill with Zelenskyy for the primary time because the begin of the warfare a yr in the past and since Republicans gained the bulk within the Home of Representatives in November.
Chairman Mike McCaul and 4 different Republican lawmakers stated they mentioned at size what Ukraine’s army must combat off Russian aggression. Zelenskyy supplied them with a listing of weapons, together with longer-range artillery and air-to-surface missile techniques.
The assembly got here in the future after President Joe Biden made an unannounced journey to Kyiv to reaffirm U.S. help for Ukraine because the warfare heads into its second yr.
Biden has been attempting to maintain the allies unified of their help for Ukraine because the warfare is predicted to accentuate with spring offensives. The largest hurdle going through the president is Home Republicans. McCaul’s go to Tuesday is the newest in a collection of efforts by the Texas Republican to make the case to his celebration for why the U.S. ought to proceed spending billions of {dollars} on the warfare effort.
“Now we have seen repeatedly the vast majority of Republicans and Democrats help our help to Ukraine. However the Biden administration must format their long-term technique,” McCaul stated in a press release. “There are some Members who could be extra supportive in the event that they noticed a long-term technique that was primarily based on a Ukrainian victory fairly than sending simply sufficient help to extend the warfare however not win it.”
A spokesperson for McCaul famous the delegation has been centered on oversight and guaranteeing there are guardrails in place for any future assist to Ukraine.
A far-right faction of the Republican Get together has been expressing its opposition to continued U.S. help to Ukraine since final spring. That marketing campaign intensified this month when a gaggle of 11 Home Republicans led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida put ahead a “Ukraine Fatigue” decision. It said that the U.S. “should finish its army and monetary assist to Ukraine” and urged the combatants to “attain a peace settlement.”
“America is in a state of managed decline, and it’ll exacerbate if we proceed to hemorrhage taxpayer {dollars} towards a international warfare,” Gaetz stated.
To date, the U.S. has supplied 4 rounds of assist to Ukraine in response to Russia’s invasion, totaling about $113 billion, with a few of the cash going towards replenishment of U.S. army gear that was despatched to the entrance strains.
Congress accredited the newest spherical of assist in December. Whereas the bundle was designed to final via the top of the fiscal yr in September, a lot relies upon upon occasions on the bottom.
For his half, Zelenskyy has been working with each Democrats and Republicans to make sure their help as soon as the nation runs out of assist, more likely to occur in late summer season. “It’s actually crucial. We’re grateful for the U.S., for its folks,” Zelenskyy stated in an video posted by his workplace after the assembly.
In feedback in a while social media, Zelenskyy added, “Thanks, American congressmen, for supporting Ukraine and understanding the significance of stepping up assist to assist us obtain victory over the aggressor.”
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Related Press reporter Kevin Freking contributed to this report.
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