As some outspoken Republican lawmakers threaten to block future aid to Ukraine, a small group of House GOP members that traveled to the country this week vowed to consider a list of key weapons and other crucial necessities during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, sources familiar with the meeting told CNN.
The meeting, set against the backdrop of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion, is a stark example of how far apart members within the Republican Party are on how to handle US involvement in the war moving forward. The divide has only deepened since the GOP took over the House majority in January, even as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has carefully attempted to remain neutral on the issue.
It also comes at a time when President Joe Biden is facing increasing pressure to supply the Ukrainians with more advanced weaponry that some of his own military commanders have privately acknowledged could help Ukraine win the war.
Zelensky, who met with House Foreign Affairs committee chairman Michael McCaul and four other House GOP members, told the group he planned to send them a list of weapons, which includes F-16 fighter jets, that he believes are necessary to speed up the end of the war with Russia.
A top US military commander reiterated to a group of Republican lawmakers how imperative F-16 fighter jets and longer-range missiles would be to serve the Ukrainian cause, one of the sources said.
“There is a broad, bipartisan support between the United States and our NATO and European allies to support Ukraine against Russian aggression,” McCaul said during his congressional delegation to Ukraine. “[W]e had a very productive meeting with President Zelensky. We talked primarily about what his needs are when it comes to winning this war. And he is providing this delegation with the list of the weapons the Ukraine needs to win.”…
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