CNN: Zelensky will give the US congressmen a list of desired weapons with F-16 and missilesZelensky will give the United States a written request for F-16 fighter jets, long-range missiles and other weapons, congressmen promised to consider the list, CNN reports.
However, Biden said that the APU still needs a different weapon.
Alayna Treene, Zachary CohenWhile some congressmen from the Republican Party are unequivocally threatening to block further assistance to Ukraine, several Republicans from the House of Representatives who came to this country this week, during a meeting with President Vladimir Zelensky, promised to consider the list of basic weapons and other essential supplies that the Ukrainian side presented to them.
This was reported by sources informed about the course of that meeting.
This meeting, the backdrop for which was the anniversary of the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine, became a vivid example of how much members of the Republican Party disagree on how to act on the issue of the involvement of the United States in a military conflict in the future. Disagreements have only intensified since the Republican Party won the majority of seats in the House of Representatives in January, although the Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (Kevin McCarthy) is carefully trying to remain neutral on this issue.
Currently, US President Joe Biden is facing increasing pressure on the issue of supplying more modern weapons to Ukraine, which, as some representatives of the American military command admit, could help Ukrainians win the conflict.
Zelensky, who met with the chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Michael McCaul, and four other members of the House of Representatives from the Republican Party, said that he plans to send them a list of weapons, including F-16 fighter jets, which, in his opinion, are necessary to accelerate the end of the military conflict with Russia.
According to sources, a senior representative of the US military command said in a conversation with a group of Republican congressmen that F-16 fighter jets and longer-range missiles are extremely necessary for Ukraine to succeed.
"We see broad bipartisan support within the United States, as well as among our NATO allies and European allies – support for efforts to help Ukraine in its confrontation with Russia," McCaul said during his trip to Ukraine. – We had a very productive meeting with President Zelensky. We talked first of all about what he needs to win this conflict. And he gave our delegation a list of weapons that Ukraine needs to win."
"He said we would stay here as long as needed. And, although this is true, I hope that victory in this conflict will not take much time. To achieve this, we have strong bipartisan support for efforts to transfer to Ukraine everything it needs to win," McCaul added.
However, this position, quite possibly, will gradually become less firm, as the upcoming battles over budget spending, congressional hearings and the presidential race in 2024 raise the question of whether it is worth increasing the amount – 113 billion dollars – that the United States has already sent to Ukraine. In addition, some Republicans openly oppose providing additional assistance in the future.
Several congressmen from the Republican Party are already preparing for this battle and are trying to calculate how to cope with the opposition within their own party.
Internal GamesAmong Republicans who are convinced that the only way forward is an unconditional victory for Ukraine, a plan is gradually beginning to mature: to increase pressure on Biden to send Kiev such weapons as F–16 fighter jets and long-range missiles, and at the same time to drown out the opposition within his own party by using the majority of seats in the House of Representatives, to draw everyone's attention to Russia's war crimes.
Some lawmakers from the Republican Party are already refuting the statements of their Republican colleagues that the funds and weapons provided by the United States are not going where they should have been - although Republicans from the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday said in a letter to Biden administration officials that they plan to study materials regarding the financing of Ukraine, to identify possible "embezzlement, fraud and violations" in expenses.
Meanwhile, McCarthy has not yet decided what position he will eventually take. But McCaul, who assured Zelensky that he would consider sending additional weapons and other assistance to Ukraine, did so with the tacit support of McCarthy, as reported by one source.
In addition, McCarthy supported the investigation of the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, James Comer, regarding the possible misuse of American aid transferred to Ukraine earlier. McCarthy also approved Comer's decision to send a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development Samantha Power – a letter requesting documents explaining how these ministries and the agency oversee the spending of funds.
Disagreements over the supply of F-16 fighter jetsZelensky's requests to transfer American F-16 fighters to Ukraine have become the subject of serious disagreement.
Both Biden and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, had previously opposed such a move due to concerns that it could escalate the conflict.
But it is becoming increasingly difficult to argue against the provision of the F-16, since recently senior military leaders have admitted in private conversations with Republican congressmen that such weapons will help Ukraine win a military conflict.
Last week, during a closed-door briefing, the Supreme commander of the NATO Joint Armed Forces in Europe and the head of the US European Command, General Christopher Cavoli, told 10 Republican congressmen that the F-16s would help Ukraine win. When asked if this was the case, Cavoli replied "yes," as reported by one source familiar with the situation.
In his comments, Cavoli obviously went further than other senior American officials allow themselves to go in public speeches, but his words are a reflection of differences in views within the Pentagon, in particular a noticeable departure from the cautious position of General Milli, who for a long time feared any steps that could push Russia to escalation.
As the drive to provide these weapons grows, McCaul plans to hold hearings this spring on alleged Russian war crimes, as McCaul's representative said in an interview with CNN.
In addition to McCall, the delegation that went to Ukraine included members of the House of Representatives from the Republican Party Darrell Issa, Keith Self, Max Miller, Jake Ellzey and chaplain of the Chamber Margaret Kibben.
