Republicans Spell Out Conditions to Continue Support for Ukraine

Californian Congressman Mike Garcia and seven of his Republican colleagues have written to President Biden urging him to avoid delaying critical funding for Israel and to separate it from the larger package of funds for Ukraine.

The letter says that the US must ensure that both Israel and Ukraine are victorious, but that funding for Kyiv must be based on a clear vision and strategy for victory and an end to the stalemate in the war with Russia.

The Representatives identify 12 areas that they believe the Administration must address if they are to support continued funding for Ukraine. These are summarized below:

• Congress must be presented with a clearly defined win strategy that includes an end-state goal and exit criteria

• The strategy must include a realistic estimated price tag as continuing the ad hoc incremental funding requests are unacceptable

• The Administration must institute a clear program of progress reports on the conduct and status of Ukraine’s military progress

• There must be a clear justification for future US investments outlining which weapons will be provided and how they will help win the war

• Congress should be provided with a list and quantities of weapons that have not been sent to Ukraine but would be effective in altering the current stalemate

• The Administration must assess the effect withdrawing US funding would have, whether this would prompt EU and NATO nations to withdraw, and Ukraine’s ability to survive and win without core military exports

• US Treasury and Commerce should provide assessments and reports on the effectiveness of sanctions enforcement against Russia

• Sanctions against Russia must include ALL oil, grain, and rare earth minerals that are not currently meaningfully impacted by global sanctions and enforced by the US and NATO

• President Biden and Secretary Austin must provide a clear explanation of why the resources being requested are the right ones to win

• Congress needs to know that US and Ukrainian objectives concerning Crimea are aligned and an assessment of whether Ukraine’s desire to reclaim the peninsula is realistic

• Presidents Biden and Zelensky must provide Congress with a full account of weapon systems that have been sent and used to date

• President Biden must provide evidence that commitments to Ukraine have not compromised US support to Taiwan, Israel, and other strategic partnership requirements

The letter concludes with the statement: “Until your administration has satisfactorily met these conditions, funding for Ukraine should not be considered in Congress.”

The document was signed by Republican Representatives Mike Garcia, Tom McClintock, Doug LaMalfa, Ralph Norman, Brad Wenstrup, Adrian Smith, Scott Franklin, and Dan Moser.