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House Republican delegation meets Zelenskyy in Kyiv, supports providing Ukraine with F-16s, ATACMS [1]

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Date: 2023-02-22

You might have done a double take after reading this headline. But it’s accurate. And it reflects how support for military aid to Ukraine has become a wedge issue among House Republicans.

Sure, Rep. Matt Gaetz and 10 other MAGA extremists introduced their “Ukraine Fatigue” bill to discontinue all military and financial aid to Ukraine shortly before President Joe Biden’s surprise visit to Kyiv.

And on Monday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene rage Tweeted about Biden’s “incredibly insulting” trip to Ukraine, calling the president an “America Last fool” who should be impeached for choosing “Ukraine over America.”

But there are also less chaotic Republicans in the House who support Ukraine in its struggle against Russian aggression.

A day after Biden’s trip to Kyiv, a delegation of five House Republicans, led by Rep. Mike McCaul of Texas, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, visited Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to deliver a message of continued U.S. support for the embattled country.

Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the U.S., thanked the Republican representatives in a Tweet for meeting Zelenskyy and “for important signals of support to Ukraine, and our fight for Freedom!. Together we win.”

x Thank you Chairman @RepMcCaul, Congressmen @DarrellIssa, @RepKeithSelf, @MaxMillerOH, @JakeEllzey for your visit to Kyiv, meeting with President @ZelenskyyUa, and for important signals of support to Ukraine, and our fight for Freedom! Together we win 🇺🇦🤝🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/yVJtIQpKOU — Oksana Markarova (@OMarkarova) February 21, 2023

This isn’t the message that Russian President Vladimir Putin would like to hear. Putin has been hoping that the Republican-controlled House will undermine U.S. aid to Ukraine.

According to Zelenskyy’s office, the Ukrainian president told the visiting Republican delegation:

"This is a very powerful signal. Yesterday - President Biden's visit, today - a meeting with you. I believe this is very important evidence that the United States supports Ukraine.” He thanked for the strong support from both houses and parties of Congress, the U.S. President and the American people: "We are grateful for all the steps that have been taken, which have been endorsed by the President of the United States and the Congress. For the aid packages for our army, our military on the battlefield. And, of course, for the financial support to overcome all the challenges that have arisen as a result of Russian aggression." The Head of State informed the Congressmen in detail on the situation on the frontline and crimes committed by Russian invaders. "I have just been informed that Kherson was shelled once again. People died again. We need weapons to stop these crimes," Zelenskyy emphasized.

And this is where things took a surprising turn because McCaul actually supported sending F-16 fighters and long-range ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) missiles to Ukraine, which the Biden administration hasn’t yet decided to provide..

At an outdoor news conference in central Kyiv, McCaul told reporters:

“The president recently visited and I commend him for coming here. It’s a very symbolic move on his part. We have strong bipartisan support to give Ukraine everything that it needs to win. I will be a very strong voice on both the ATACMS, the long-range artillery, to hit the Iranian drones in Crimea, in addition to the F-16s. I’m seeing increasing momentum to getting both the artillery and the planes in. And in any event, we can start training the pilots right now so they're ready."

McCaul’s remarks can be heard in this MSNBC report, which also includes an interview with Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin.

The Associated Press reported that McCaul, in a statement, said the Biden administration needs to lay out its long-term strategy for Ukraine.

“There are some Members who would be more supportive if they saw a long-term strategy that was based on a Ukrainian victory rather than sending just enough support to prolong the war but not win it.”

On Monday, Republican Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho also supported providing Ukraine with more lethal force, including advanced fighters.

x I hope POTUS’ visit to #Kyiv will be followed with action - including quickly sending F-16s to Ukrainian forces. We must demonstrate that the U.S. remains committed to helping #Ukraine defend itself against #Russia’s violent aggression. — Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member (@SenateForeign) February 20, 2023

McCaul was joined on the trip by Reps. Darrell Issa of California, Max Miller of Ohio, and Keith Self and Jake Elizey of Texas.

Fox News Digital reported that the delegation also visited the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, where more than 400 bodies of civilians were discovered, to meet with Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin to discuss Russian war crimes. The Foreign Affairs committee plans to hold a hearing in the spring on that issue.

Last week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell visited the Munich Security Conference in a bipartisan show of support for Ukraine.

Schumer thanked McConnell for working with him and President Biden to deliver $113 billion in military and economic aid to Ukraine over the past year.

“To the people of Ukraine, I pledge that the United States Senate will not abandon our commitment to stand shoulder with you in this time of war,” Schumer said.

Last May, McConnell led a delegation of Republican senators to Kyiv to meet with Zelenskyy.

In Munich, he made a point of distancing himself and other Republican senators from the MAGA Republican extremists who want to halt U.S. aid to Ukraine.

According to The Hill, McConnell told the conference:

“I am a conservative Republican from America and I come in peace! Reports about the death of Republican support for strong American leadership in the world have been greatly exaggerated,” he declared. “Don’t look at Twitter, look at people in power. Look at me and Speaker Kevin McCarthy [R-Calif.]. Look at the top Republicans on the Senate and House committees that handle armed services, foreign affairs, appropriations and intelligence” issues, he said. McConnell pledged that Republican leaders are committed to a strong trans-Atlantic alliance and to helping Ukraine because “America’s own core national interests are at stake” given the ties between American and European security and prosperity.

McConnell may be overly optimistic about Barely Speaker McCarthy’s resolve. But it’s clear that there are Republican lawmakers who are ready to push back against the pro-Putin MAGA extremists when it comes to providing aid to Ukraine. Putin might be making another miscalculation in a series of miscalculations if he is relying on the House crazy caucus to pull Russia’s bacon out of the fire.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/22/2154306/-House-Republican-delegation-meets-Zelenskyy-in-Kyiv-supports-providing-Ukraine-with-F-16s-ATACMS

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