House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, wants President Trump to authorize the Pentagon to send weapons to Ukraine in its battle with Russian separatists.
Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill believe the U.S. must help the former Soviet state end the conflict on its eastern border by sending Kiev defensive weapons, Thornberry told reporters Monday.
“It was incredibly frustrating that the Obama administration wouldn’t do that,” Thornberry said about President Obama’s rebuffing lawmakers’ and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s request for such weapons.
“I hope that the new administration will do it,” he said.
It is unclear if Trump is willing to deviate from Obama’s precedent. This summer, former campaign manager Paul Manafort successfully fought to remove the issue from the party’s platform ahead of the Republican National Convention.
Both Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said they support sending the U.S. ally weapons during their confirmation hearings.
Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, blasted Russia for inciting the recent uptick in violence in Donetsk during her first appearance before the Security Council last week.
She also called on Moscow to return Crimea to Ukraine.
“The United States continues to condemn and call for an immediate end to the Russian occupation of Crimea,” she said.
Whether Trump will risk Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ire by demanding he return Crimea or sending Kiev weapons is an open question. Just Saturday, Trump told Fox News: “I say it’s better to get along with Russia than not.”
During the presidential campaign, Trump hinted that if elected he might officially recognize Crimea as belonging to Russia.
Kiev is panicked that Washington is backing away from supporting Ukraine’s efforts to retain its sovereignty. Trump and Poroshenko, an oligarch known as the “Chocolate King,” spoke on Saturday. During the call, Trump told Poroshenko: “We will work with Ukraine, Russia and all other parties involved to help them restore peace along the border,” according to the White House.
