The chairman and top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee are pressing President Obama for an overdue report on whether to arm Ukraine against a Russian-backed rebellion that continues to eat into its territory.
“Now is the time for the United States to provide Ukraine with the means to defend itself from continued Russian aggression,” Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and ranking Democrat Bob Menendez of New Jersey wrote in the letter delivered Monday.
The report, required by a law enacted in December, was due Feb. 15.
The administration is considering whether to provide arms to Ukrainian forces, but has delayed a decision in the face of opposition by some European allies, most notably Germany, and concerns that it would escalate the conflict and disrupt an already-shaky ceasefire.
But a growing bipartisan chorus of lawmakers is pressing Obama to act. Legislation has been introduced in the House to require the administration to arm Ukraine, and key senators also support the idea.
“By equipping Ukraine with the means to impose a greater military cost on Russia, the United States will be contributing to a quicker, fairer, and more stable settlement of the conflict. After countless broken promises by the Kremlin, it is clear that Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine can only be stopped if [Russian President Vladimir] Putin realizes that the United States and Europe are unequivocally committed to helping Kiev impose this military cost on Russia,” Corker and Menendez wrote.
The panel has called top administration officials to a hearing Tuesday to discuss U.S. policy toward Ukraine.
