Group of Republicans Sets Conditions for Biden to Continue Supporting Ukraine

In a letter to President Joe Biden, eight US House Republicans have set their conditions for further assistance to Ukraine and called for additional funding for Israel to be set aside.

"Simply strategy ‘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? These estimates do not need to be exact, but we should understand the end-state goal and exit criteria," a letter published by Congressman Mike Garcia reads.

The signatories of the letter express concern about the potential delay of critical funding for Israel. They stated that the overwhelming majority of congressmen in both the House and Senate supported consideration of separate funding for Israel and Ukraine.

They stressed that Israel and Ukraine must win, and "that much is clear". However, according to the text, "American taxpayers have become weary of funding a never-ending stalemate in Ukraine with no vision for victory".

The Republicans said they had identified 12 "reasonable and rational conditions" that must be met before "a single dollar is sent to Ukraine".

The congressmen demanded that Presidents Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelenskyy provide the US Congress with a strategy for a Ukrainian victory.

The congressmen expect to hear the estimated cost of executing the winning strategy. They are demanding that President Biden and Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin clearly inform the American people about the status of the war in Ukraine, including reporting on Ukraine's progress to date, outlining the reasons for the current "stalemate" and providing an update on the "spring counteroffensive".

They want to hear how the US weapons being sent to Ukraine will help it win the war, not just prolong it. They demand an assessment of what kind of weapons have not been sent but could have changed the trajectory of the war so far.

"The administration’s current slow-drip policy has only prolonged Ukraine’s suffering, and it is the responsibility of Congress to play a role in deciding what additional capabilities should be offered to Ukraine," the letter says.

The congressmen want Biden and Austin to explain what would happen if US investment in Ukraine ceased, or if the EU and NATO countries also withdrew their support for Ukraine, and whether Ukraine would be able to withstand and win in that case.

The U.S. Department of Treasury and Commerce should report to the Congress on the level of implementation and compliance with the sanctions already approved against Russia, the congressmen said. The United States and all NATO members should adopt a policy of full sanctions against Russia, including all oil, grain and rare earth minerals.

Congressmen will want to hear whether the U.S. and Ukraine agree on the mission's goals for Crimea and whether the U.S. believes Ukraine's desire to return Crimea is realistic.

Presidents Biden and Zelenskyy should continue to provide the Congress with a full accounting, to the extent possible, of the weapons systems that have been sent and used to date.

President Biden should provide commitments and evidence that his administration is not jeopardising the schedule and cost of critical domestic weapons programmes or the commitments made by the United States to support programmes for Taiwan and Israel. 

"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 defence of Israel be considered standalone on its own merits. Failure to make such a request would lead to your actions further endangering Israel during one of the most dangerous conflicts since its founding," the congressmen said.

Republican congressmen Mike Garcia, Tom McClintock, Doug Lamalfa, Ralph Norman, Brad Wenstrup, Adrian Smith, Scott Franklin, and Dan Moser signed the letter to Biden.

On Monday, House Republicans introduced a separate bill for additional funds for Israel alone in the first major legislative initiative of new Speaker Mike Johnson.

On Tuesday, US senators from both parties expressed doubts about a plan by House Republicans to provide US$14.3 billion in aid to Israel separately from support for Ukraine.