Left-wing politicians in the United States urged President Joe Biden on Monday to pursue a diplomatic solution with Russia to halt the Ukraine crisis, including by examining security arrangements that are acceptable to both parties.
In a letter, 30 House Democrats from Biden’s party stated their opposition to Russia’s “outrageous and unlawful invasion of Ukraine” and their agreement with the White House that Kiev should be in charge of reaching a solution.
“But as legislators responsible for the expenditure of tens of billions of US taxpayer dollars in military assistance in the conflict, we believe such involvement in this war also creates a responsibility for the United States to seriously explore all possible avenues,” said the lawmakers, who were accompanied by Representative Pramila Jayapal, the leader of the House Progressive Caucus.
To achieve a solution “that is acceptable to the people of Ukraine,” they urged direct communication with Russia.
The authors wrote that such a framework “would presumably include incentives to end hostilities, including some kind of sanctions relief, and bring the international community together to establish security guarantees for a free and independent Ukraine that are acceptable for all parties, particularly Ukrainians.”
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Protracted conflict is the only option for diplomacy, and it comes with certainties and catastrophic, unknown hazards.
Before beginning the assault on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin had wanted assurances that the former Soviet republic would never join NATO, the Western military alliance.
Although Ukraine had little chance of joining the alliance, US officials were dubious that NATO was his proper priority and had high-level discussions with Russia up to the invasion.
Ned Price, a spokesperson for the State Department, responded to a question about the letter by saying, “No one wants to see this conflict end more than our Ukrainian colleagues.”
In response to a question from a reporter, he said, “We don’t know when it will happen, primarily and only because we have not seen any evidence from the Russians that they are willing to engage in that diplomacy and communication.”
Price said, “We have been giving our Ukrainian colleagues everything they need on the battlefield to be in the best position when a bargaining table develops.
Separately, Karine Jean-Pierre, the press secretary for the White House, stated: “We have been quite clear: nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”
The United States led Western efforts to deliver armaments and support an economy that Russian strikes had decimated by approving $40 billion in assistance to Ukraine in May.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, who had reluctantly suggested that NATO’s attempt to prevent war may be abandoned, has promised to drive back the Russian invaders and reclaim the territory they stole.