Alwaght- A group of 30 Democratic lawmakers in Washington has urged President Joe Biden to pursue diplomatic means to help end the conflict in Ukraine, including “direct talks with Russia”, though the Democratic Party leadership still insists that the US should arm Ukraine for a long time.
In a letter to the White House on Monday, Congressional Progressive Caucus chair Pramila Jayapal, of Washington, cited the “destruction” of Ukraine, the threat of nuclear war, and the economic turmoil hitting Europe as reasons to pursue a negotiated settlement.
While the ultimate decision on when to return to the negotiating table remains Ukraine’s, Jayapal added, the fact that the US has poured tens of billions of dollars into keeping Kiev afloat “creates a responsibility for the United States to seriously explore all possible avenues, including direct engagement with Russia, to reduce harm and support Ukraine in achieving a peaceful settlement.”
The letter concluded by again urging Biden to open “direct talks with Russia,” without suggesting what kind of compromises the lawmakers think Ukraine should make for peace.
According to RT news network, the signatories included prominent progressives like Ro Khanna, of Pennsylvania, Ilhan Omar, of Minnesota, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of New York.
The Biden administration has to date approved upwards of $60 billion in military and economic aids to Kiev since February, and Congress is likely to pass another $50 billion aid package before January. Democrats in the House and the Senate unanimously voted in favor of a $40 billion assistance package in May, but Jayapal’s letter suggests that Biden may now face opposition on his Ukraine policy from the left, as well as from the vocal minority of Republicans who voted against the $40 billion aid tranche.
However, Biden himself has vowed to keep the arms spigot open “for as long as it takes,” and has declared that Ukraine will decide its own terms for peace. Democratic leadership is in lockstep, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi telling a pro-Ukraine summit in Croatia on Monday that the US’ “support for Ukraine is bipartisan” and “will not stop.”
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has also promised not to negotiate with Russia as long as Russian President Vladimir Putin is in power, and has vowed to seize the four regions that recently joined the Russian Federation, as well as Crimea, which voted to rejoin Russia in 2014.
Russia launched a “special military operation in Ukraine in February on response to a call for help by the eastern Ukraine regions who are majorly home to people of Russian origins. Moscow campaign is also driven by the NATO expansion to the Russian borders.
