U.S. lawmakers left Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech on Wednesday determined to help, but divided on how to do it: Republicans are pushing for jet fighters, while Democrats are more careful with their words.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said after Zelenskiy’s speech that the message to President Joe Biden “is that he needs to step up his game.”
Republicans are pushing for a proposed deal with Poland to send MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. But last week, the Biden administration strongly condemned the idea after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that any further U.S. involvement in Ukraine would mean an escalation that could drag the West into the conflict.
McConnell agreed with the Biden administration that the US should not send troops or man a no-fly zone over Ukraine, but said the United States should send whatever weapons Ukraine needs.
“There are other ways to make the air dangerous for the Russians with all sorts of weapons. When dealing with low-flying aircraft, with high-flying aircraft, we must provide them with everything they need to try to prevent aerial carnage,” he said.
“There are other ways to make the air dangerous for the Russians with all sorts of weapons,” said Republican leader Mitch McConnell.
Republican Senator Mitt Romney insisted that Ukraine get the planes
And Republican Senator Rick Scott urged Biden today to decide whether he is going to send additional military equipment to Ukraine.
“Today, President Biden needs to make a decision: either give Ukraine access to the aircraft and air defense systems it needs to defend itself, or establish a no-fly zone to close the Ukrainian skies from Russian attacks,” Scott said.
Senator Mitt Romney, who is also pushing for fighter jets to be sent to Ukraine, said it makes more sense for the West to help Ukraine make peace in its own skies.
“I think it is very clear that it is not a good idea for NATO to fight in the sky with the Russians and shoot each other. This could potentially become a World War III-type scenario,” he said. “But we can create a safer skies by getting the MiGs that are available in Poland to people in Ukraine so they can fly themselves.”
And Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, co-chair of the Ukraine Caucus Caucus who was in Kyiv as an FBI agent, maintains what he calls a restricted no-fly zone.
He said technologies such as electromagnetic pulse and hydroacoustic radar could enable it to be used instead of shooting down planes.
“We have to support the humanitarian no-fly zone,” Fitzpatrick said. “Otherwise, the only way out is to kill innocent people.”
But Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said he wants to send fighter jets despite the risk of an escalation with Russia.
“We will not have a nuclear war because of this. This is Putin’s bluff,” Graham said. “He may be a murderer, but he is not suicidal.”
In his speech, Zelenskiy reiterated his call for Western nations to impose a no-fly zone over his country. The US and its allies fear that such a move could escalate into World War III.
“This is a terror that Europe has not seen for 80 years, and we ask our lives for a response to this terror from all over the world. Is it a lot to ask? Create a no-fly zone over Ukraine to save people? Is it too much to ask? A humanitarian no-fly zone, something with which Russia will not be able to terrorize our free cities, ”he said.
“I need to protect our sky. I need your decision, your help,” he said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky handed over to Congress a video in which he asked for help in protecting the skies of his country.
President Joe Biden laid out the details of the latest U.S. military aid package to Ukraine on Wednesday as the country struggles against the “lecherous onslaught” of Vladimir Putin.
President Biden delivered a speech after Zelensky’s speech. Biden will travel to Brussels next week for a hastily organized NATO meeting to discuss the situation in Ukraine.
During his speech on Wednesday, Biden presented a detailed list of the new $800 million in lethal weapons the US is providing to Ukraine.
“We are going to give Ukraine weapons to fight and defend itself in the difficult days ahead,” Biden vowed as he faces pressure from Congress and Zelenskiy to give Ukraine the means to defend itself.
He also spoke in unusual detail about the latest aid package, which sees US military aid reach $1 billion this week alone.
It includes 800 anti-aircraft systems, 9,000 anti-tank systems, man-portable “precision” shoulder missiles and 7,000 small arms, as well as machine guns, shotguns and grenade launchers.
He said the package would include drones “demonstrating our commitment to sending our most advanced systems to Ukraine for its defense.” He did not specify if he was referring to the latest kamikaze killer drones the administration was considering.
Biden said the package included “additional longer-range anti-aircraft systems” that he said came at Zelenskiy’s request.
What Biden didn’t mention, and didn’t want to talk about, was the MiG fighter jets that Zelenskiy is asking for, and his administration has refused to authorize their transfer.
He did not comment when journalists asked him about it. But the president later called Putin a “war criminal”, the first time the term was used.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended the administration’s position on Wednesday, saying the president’s support is “exactly what we think is effective” against Russia.
Firefighters try to put out a fire at the Saltovka construction market.
Democratic lawmakers have been careful what they say, tempering their desire to help Ukraine without going too far in promising direct military assistance, which the Biden administration fears could escalate relations with Russia and lead to World War III.
“There is not a single member of Congress who walks out of this room without thinking what else the United States can do to stop this carnage. Just a heartbreaking speech,” said Democratic Senator Chris Murphy.
He noted that the US “wants to do everything in coordination with our allies, which sometimes means it takes a couple of extra days.”
But he and other Democrats appeared to have doubts about Zelenskiy’s call for a no-fly zone.
Democratic Senator Richard Blumethal called for a delay, saying the tough economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the US and its allies need time to take effect.
“I think he’s making an argument that he needs to make. I don’t necessarily believe things will spiral so quickly. I think. I mean, it’s hard to tell when people are dying, but to err on the side of caution about something that won’t get out of control and let some of the tools we put in place because the Russian economy crashed,’ he said.
And Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer did not call for specific types of military assistance to Ukraine.
“As we have said since the beginning of the war, the Senate, Congress and the American people stand with the people of Ukraine unconditionally,” he said.
Russian forces targeted civilians in Ukraine, including women and children. On Wednesday, the military mercilessly shot ten Ukrainian civilians waiting in line for bread near the northern city of Chernihiv.
The footage, published by the Ukrainian website Public and confirmed by the US embassy in Kyiv, shows the lifeless bodies of ten people sprawled in the street after they were apparently executed in cold blood.
“Today, Russian security forces shot dead 10 people who were standing in line for bread in Chernihiv. Such horrendous attacks must stop,” the US embassy said in a Twitter statement, adding that they were considering options to “enforce accountability” for the “atrocities.”
This comes after drone footage emerged last week of a group of Russian soldiers executing a lone Ukrainian civilian who tried to surrender on a highway west of Kyiv.
The killing of civilians, especially those who do not pose a threat, is considered a war crime under international humanitarian law.
However, the Russian authorities continue to insist that their forces have only targeted strategic military targets and are not waging war against Ukrainian civilians.