Reportedly a number of Republican lawmakers, including three
senators have expressed grave concerns about a United States proxy war with
Russia.
“A
proxy war with Russia in Ukraine is not in the strategic interest of the United
States and risks an escalation that could spiral out of control” they warned in
a letter to President Joe Biden.
The Ukraine war has entered its second year with no end in
sight as Washington brushes aside any peace initiatives by third parties, the
latest by China and Brazil.
The lawmakers warned that the American aid to Ukraine
threatens further escalation while lacking much needed strategic clarity.
The
United States is the number one financial sponsor of the war. To date, it has
contributed US$113 billion, mostly in military assistance, which the lawmakers
said is aimed to prop up a government that is historically mired in corruption.
They pointed out that this
comes at a time when the American people suffer from record inflation and a
crippling national debt.Time and again, the executive branch has used debt as a
tool to finance foreign wars to the detriment of the American taxpayer.
The
legislators have highlighted how the US strategy towards Ukraine is pushing
Washington's two greatest adversaries closer together.
In early February 2022, the presidents of China and Russia
reminded the world of their no limits partnership in their first face-to-face
meeting in two years.
On
Friday, China’s Foreign Ministry said no country has the right to interfere in
its relationship with Russia, as the two sides are sovereign, independent
countries.
A spokesperson said, "China and Russia follow the
principle of no-alliance, no-confrontation and no-targeting of any third party
and are committed to developing a new type of major-country relations featuring
mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation. This is entirely
different from the US practice of forming exclusive blocs and stoking bloc confrontation.
“Both China and Russia see the US as inextricably opposed to
their interests and security. The depth of US involvement in Ukraine only gives
credence to this narrative,” the letter said.
In their address to Biden, the American lawmakers said US
national interests and those of the Ukrainian people are best served by
encouraging negotiations to end the conflict. "We strongly urge you
(Biden) to advocate for a negotiated peace".
Ironically, this is the same approach that the entire world
has been advocating for, with the exception of the US-led NATO military
alliance.
Russia, in particular, has repeatedly warned that pouring
weapons into Ukraine will only prolong the war and the suffering of the
Ukrainian people.
“The current strategy of sanctions and drawn-out aid will
only prolong the conflict, leading to escalation and more violence. Our
national and economic security demands an alternative,” the lawmakers
wrote.
The letter pointed out US military assistance also extends
to military training and intelligence support and warned of the risk of
provoking a direct war with Russia.
"The extent of our aid makes it increasingly difficult
to deny Russian accusations of US complicity in a proxy war. Vladimir Putin's
advisors are already framing the conflict as a military confrontation Russia
and NATO, and above all the United States and Britain, Russian tolerance for
fighting a proxy war with NATO could run out at any point."
They added that Moscow's decision to take military action in
Ukraine should be evidence enough of its willingness to use military force and
should give us pause in continuing to push the limits at the risk of
catastrophe.
"With
every new aid package and every new weapon provided to Ukraine, the risk of
direct conflict with Russia climbs," the letter added.
"The Biden administration’s virtual blank check funding
of this conflict for as long as it takes, without any defined objectives or
accountability, distracts from our country’s most pressing challenges."
“Unrestrained US aid for Ukraine must come to an end, and we
will adamantly oppose all future aid packages unless they are linked to a clear
diplomatic strategy designed to bring this war to a rapid conclusion.”
They
also spoke of a delusional US strategy, which has made the US military weaker
as it will take months or, in some cases, years to manufacture a depleted
weapons stockpile being shipped to Kyiv.
“Should our actions entangle us in a confrontation with
Russia now or should conflict erupt in the Indo-Pacific in the coming years, we
fear that our military will be woefully unprepared to meet these challenges as
a direct result of what has been shipped to Ukraine,” they said.
The
senators and representatives also criticize the Biden administration’s decision
to send High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to the Ukrainian
military. That decision was seen as a serious provocation, given the enhanced
capabilities these weapons afforded, according to the lawmakers.
The letter mentions the Biden administration's plans to ship
M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, which require months to ship and training for
Ukrainian crews, and to send ground-launched small-diameter bombs, which would
also require months to ship.
On top
of the US$113 billion that Congress has authorized for Ukraine, the Biden
administration is still drawing funds from the US$45 billion package approved
in December 2022. That aid is expected to be exhausted by the summer, meaning
the White House will likely ask Congress to authorize more funds soon.
In February, Representative Mathew Gaetz accused the
Biden White House as well as members of both parties of spending tens of
billions of dollars in Ukraine to keep a war going that does not satisfy any US
national interest other than making US weapons manufacturers happy.
"How much more for Ukraine? Is there any limit?"
Gaetz asked on the floor of the US House of Representatives. "Which
billionth dollar really kicks in the door? Which redline we set will we not
later cross?"
US
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene recently told US media that Ukraine was
not the 51st state and that she has to focus on fixing the problems her
constituents and the American people are facing.
“We’re ignoring our own people’s problems... the United
States needs to be pushing for peace in Ukraine, not funding a proxy war with
Russia.”
“Politicians
have given over US$100 billion of taxpayer money to Ukraine,” a spokesperson
for Senator Rand Paul said. “Taxpayers deserve to have a full accounting of how
their money is being used overseas, particularly before even more is asked of
them and especially since priorities in our own nation are being neglected.”
The arguments against blank checks for Ukraine appear to be
gaining popularity among regular Americans. The support for unconditional
military aid has decreased notably, from 60% in May 2022 to 42% this
February. The biggest drop has come from Republicans, according to a poll by
The Associated Press-Norc Center for Public Affairs Research.
The letter comes as Ukraine received US-made Patriot
surface-to-air guided missile systems, which will further satisfy US arms
manufacturers.
