Republicans press Trump to resume military and intelligence aid to Ukraine – Hill
Republican lawmakers are starting to urge President Trump to reverse his decisions to pause U.S. military and intelligence aid to Ukraine, warning that a prolonged stoppage of U.S. help for the war effort would have a seriously detrimental effect.
This is reported by The Hill, Censor.NET reports.
They acknowledge Trump has the right to temporarily halt weapons shipments to Ukraine to assess the war, pressure NATO allies to step up their contributions and to create a window to negotiate a peace deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
But they warn that stopping the flow of weapons and munitions to Ukraine for too long could have a devastating effect on Ukraine’s warfighting ability, which would undercut its leverage in talks with Russia.
What is the reaction of the Republicans?
Republican lawmakers also say that intelligence sharing should resume immediately, doubting that the US can gain any benefit from depriving Ukraine of critical intelligence.
"It's a concern for the Ukrainian people. I'm more concerned about what the people on the battlefield feel about it," said Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who is a supporter of supporting Ukraine.
He warned that a pause in US aid to Ukraine could be helpful to Putin.
"I know it's hard for people in Ukraine, I was there two weeks ago," he added.
According to the senator, Ukraine has enough weapons and ammunition to hold the front line, but he expressed hope that the pause in military aid would not be long. Tillis says he is "not against" a pause if it is a short-term "negotiating tactic".
"I hope and pray that it will be short-lived. I think it will be," he said.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, a representative of the Republican Party, said she opposed the suspension of military aid.
"I don't think we should stop our efforts. It is Ukrainians who are shedding blood," she said, calling the current moment "critical for Ukraine".
Republican senators hope for temporary pause
On Thursday, 6 March, some Republican senators also expressed shock at Trump's announcement that he would make a decision on revoking the temporary legal status for an estimated 240,000 Ukrainians living in the United States.
Republican Senator Todd Young expressed hope that Trump and Zelenskyy would be able to "come together and close the gap" in the US-Ukraine minerals deal.
Senate Republican Majority Leader John Thune stressed that the pause in military aid to Ukraine would be temporary.
"It’s a pause, importantly, not a stop. I think it’s part of a negotiation. And I’m hopeful that in the end, that we’ll get folks to the table and be able to negotiate a deal that will bring a peaceful resolution to this three years-long conflict, and one hopefully that will respect the sovereignty of the Ukrainian people," he said.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who has worked hard behind the scenes to put together the minerals deal, said he was dismayed by Trump’s announced pause on sharing intelligence with Ukraine.
"I hope all this will be clear up pretty soon," he said.
Republican Senator John Cornyn, a member of the Intelligence Committee, said that the intelligence provided by the US to Kyiv was very important for Ukraine to continue its fight.
"I hope the pause will be lifted at some point," he added, noting that Trump is trying to exert "leverage" over Zelenskyy to agree to a deal.
Republican Senator Mike Rounds, a member of the Armed Services Committee, said he did not support the decision to stop sharing intelligence with Ukraine.
"I do not agree with this," he said, also expressing hope that the suspension of military aid to Ukraine would be only temporary.
Republican Senator Deb Fischer said that the pause in intelligence sharing "is a decision that was made by the commander-in-chief".
"I hope that if there is intelligence that can be very valuable for Ukrainians, it will be passed on," she added.
The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Republican Roger Wicker, said he was "looking into" the decision to stop intelligence sharing.
Suspension of US aid
On the morning of March 4, it became known that US President Donald Trump had ordered the suspension of all US military aid to Ukraine in order to force Kyiv to demonstrate a "good faith commitment" to peace.
One U.S. official told CNN that the consequences of the suspension of U.S. military aid will be felt in some time. Perhaps a few days or weeks. However, as soon as the stockpiles of weapons and armaments begin to run out, the country will face serious consequences.
According to journalist Ostap Yarysh, the US decision to suspend assistance to Ukraine will primarily affect the supply of missiles to air defense and ammunition for HIMARS and artillery.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna emphasized that the US decision to temporarily suspend military aid to Ukraine means that Europe must help Ukraine more and faster than before to fill this gap.
The Economist article says that the US decision to suspend aid to Ukraine will lead to more casualties and destruction. The critical elements, the newspaper writes, are weapons, their repair, air defense missiles, the Starlink system, and, perhaps most importantly, intelligence sharing.
Chief National Security Advisor to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, Marius Česnulevičius, said that Washington's decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine was not a surprise. However, Europe is preparing a response.
Later, The Economist wrote that there is currently no official order from Donald Trump to suspend military aid to Ukraine.
The United States has completely stopped sharing all intelligence information with Ukraine, including that which could be used to strike Russian troops in the occupied Ukrainian territories, Sky News reported.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed that the United States has suspended arms sales and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
