Sen. Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, traveled to Ukraine on Friday to show American solidarity with a Democratic ally under attack by Russia and to increase pressure on Republicans to increase their opposition to additional U.S. to give up help.
The trip, Schumer’s first official trip to Ukraine, comes at a critical time as a foreign aid package that includes more than $60 billion in military aid to Kyiv has stalled on Capitol Hill amid Republican opposition.
It amounts to something of a victory for Mr. Schumer, the New York Democrat who managed to maneuver the relief bill through the Senate this month with a resounding bipartisan vote that came after months of bipartisan wrangling.
But it’s also a last-ditch effort to save the legislation in the House. Under pressure from right-wing hardliners hostile to funding Ukraine’s war effort, Republican Speaker Mike Johnson has rejected bipartisan calls to raise the issue.
Mr Schumer plans to meet in Lviv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his newly appointed military commander Oleksandr Syrsky. He said he hoped to show how Congress’ delay in providing more aid had hurt Ukraine’s battlefield efforts, and he wanted to urge House Republicans to take action before it was too late.
“We believe we will be able to present very strong, concrete evidence as to why Ukraine is losing the war for the first time — or, as you know, retreating in the war,” Mr. Schumer said in an interview before him Departure. The main reason he cited was the lack of ammunition – a key part of the US military aid package since the beginning of 2022. “We also believe that we can provide a perspective and explain in great detail how Ukraine can win this war if it is given what she needs.”
It’s unclear how loudly his message will resonate in Washington, even as Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities show no signs of abating. On Friday, the Ukrainian air force said it had shot down 23 of 31 Russian drones launched overnight. The drones that broke through Ukrainian air defenses severely damaged residential buildings. At least three civilians were found dead under the rubble of a building in the southern port city of Odessa, local authorities said.
Mr. Schumer said the American audience for the trip was primarily Republican lawmakers who expressed support for Ukraine’s cause but voted against sending more military aid.
That group has grown significantly in the past year as opposition to aid to Kyiv has become a political imperative on the right, fueled in part by former President Donald J. Trump’s “America First” worldview. In the fall, Republican leaders agreed on a new message to justify the opposition, arguing that the United States had no business helping Ukraine maintain its sovereignty unless or until it enforced its own border with Mexico strict immigration restrictions can be secured.
“There are a lot of people who are torn on the Republican side in the Senate and the House who knew this was the right thing to do but are afraid of Donald Trump’s vindictiveness,” Schumer said.
He said he believed this was the case with Mr Johnson, even though the speaker had repeatedly voted against sending aid to Ukraine.
“Speaker Johnson has spoken positively about Ukraine,” Schumer said. “I think he knows that if he were to bring a bill to the table, it would have majority support.”
But aid advocates are making little headway with the speaker, who has never voted to support Ukraine and is threatened by far-right Republicans with ousting him from office if he allows a vote on it.
After Representative Michael R. Turner, Republican of Ohio and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, led a bipartisan delegation to Kiev this month, where he met with Mr. Zelensky and promised that the United States would provide additional funding, Mr. Johnson said no Signs that he is changing his attitude.
“The Republican-led House will not be obstructed or coerced into passing a foreign aid bill that has been rejected by most Republican senators and does nothing to secure our own border,” Johnson said just days after Turner’s trip.
Mr. Schumer leads an all-Democratic delegation including Senators Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee; Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut; Michael Bennet of Colorado and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire. Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican and minority leader who has been vocal about aid to Ukraine, led a similarly large GOP delegation to Ukraine in 2022.
The trip represents an expansion of the international profile that Mr. Schumer has sought to cultivate since becoming majority leader. Over the past year he has recorded trips to India, Pakistan, Israel, China and various locations in Europe.
“Europeans are appalled that America – which has always been the strength of NATO, the strength of the Western alliance – could think of turning its back on Europe,” Schumer said. He added that his trip was important to “show Europe that we are not turning away, we are fighting for it and we will keep fighting until we get the help.”
Mr. Schumer added that he had no intention of giving in to demands from some Republicans that the United States focus its efforts in Ukraine solely on military aid and leave economic and humanitarian aid to European partners. The Senate-passed bill also provides economic and humanitarian aid to Ukraine to help maintain civilian infrastructure and help those displaced by the fighting.
He also indicated that he and White House officials were looking for ways to get around opposition from House Republicans if they failed to persuade Mr. Johnson and others to allow a vote.
“We will explore with the administration all options to obtain this assistance,” Mr. Schumer said. “It is a crucial question for the world; It is a crucial question for history. It goes beyond the immediate politics of the moment.”
Constant Méheut contributed reporting.
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2024-02-23 11:16:18
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