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Progressive Democrats are still reeling from the now-retracted letter sent to President Joe Biden earlier this week urging him to reemphasize diplomacy between Ukraine and Russia.
The letter, which Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) said was released by staff without vetting, resulted in significant backlash and raised concerns that the Democrats, who had unanimously supported aid to Ukraine, were wavering on their support for continuing it.
Some of the 30 House Democrats who signed the letter said that they did over the summer, while some said they wouldn’t sign the letter currently due to the changes in the war since then.
‘INAPPROPRIATE FOR US TO SPECULATE’: PENTAGON DOWNPLAYS MIDTERM IMPACT ON UKRAINE AID
“It is not appropriate now, and the right decision was made” to withdraw the letter, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) said on CNN Wednesday morning. “Because if you have a barbaric leader like Vladimir Putin who is talking about a possible nuclear hit, then we know that the only thing that we need … is for President [Volodymyr] Zelensky to be the decision-maker on how Ukraine moves forward.”
“I would argue that there is no naivety to the question of diplomacy, it is all in timing,” she added. “And frankly, we know that where there might have been a window some months ago, there is no window at this point.”
Jackson Lee’s sentiment has been echoed by various Democrats, though not all, who have argued that the letter was no longer feasible given the situation and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s relentless aggression in Ukraine, which continues to escalate and leave civilian tragedies in its wake.
“We certainly appreciate the sentiments expressed by these members of Congress,” National Security Council coordinator John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) made headlines last week when he said the Ukrainians would not provide them with a “blank check,” though he has since expounded upon those comments, saying he supports helping Ukraine defeat Russian forces.
Jayapal, in withdrawing the letter, warned that their position, as stated in it, was “conflated” with the sentiment from the Republican leader.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“Because of the timing, our message is being conflated by some as being equivalent to the recent statement by Republican Leader McCarthy threatening an end to aid to Ukraine if Republicans take over,” she said. “The proximity of these statements created the unfortunate appearance that Democrats, who have strongly and unanimously supported and voted for every package of military, strategic, and economic assistance to the Ukrainian people, are somehow aligned with Republicans who seek to pull the plug on American support for President Zelensky and the Ukrainian forces.”
The letter and McCarthy’s comments represent a new level of uncertainty in future Ukrainian aid as Republicans are poised to win back at least the lower chamber of Congress, if not both the House and the Senate. There is a belief that Democrats could look to pass another large Ukrainian aid bill during the lame-duck session.
