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WASHINGTON, Oct. 26 (AP) — A group of progressive Democrats in Congress said they had withdrawn a letter to the White House urging President Joe Biden to engage in direct diplomatic talks with Russia, as it sparked Democrats the commotion and questioned the strength. Party support for Ukraine.
The chair of the Progressive Caucus, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, said in a statement on Tuesday that the caucus was withdrawing a letter it sent less than 24 hours earlier. It was signed by 30 members of the party’s liberal wing.
“This letter was drafted several months ago, but unfortunately staff released it uncensored,” the Washington Democrat wrote in a statement. As caucus chair, Jaya Parr said she was responsible for it.
The unusual pullback ended a tense 24-hour period for Democrats. Many have expressed anger at the president’s low approval ratings for his Ukraine strategy, with their congressional majority at risk just weeks before the midterm elections.
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This repeated emphasis on the fragility of Biden’s relationship with the progressive wing of his party raises serious questions about their ability to cooperate not only on Ukrainian money (which appears to be safe for now), but on more pressing issues . Liberals’ top priority.
The letter called on Biden to combine unprecedented economic and military support for Ukraine with “an aggressive diplomatic push to redouble efforts to find a realistic framework for a ceasefire.”
“The alternative to diplomacy is a protracted war with certainty and catastrophic and unknowable risks,” the letter reads. Jayapal said the letter, which was recently shared with Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California The comments were unfairly mixed, with the latter warning that Republicans won’t write a “blank check” for Ukraine if they win a House majority in November.
“The proximity of these statements creates an unfortunate appearance that Democrats, who strongly and unanimously support and vote for every military, strategic and economic aid package offered to the Ukrainian people, are in some way in conflict with Republicans who are trying to stop the U.S. People allied. Jayapal said, support Ukraine.
Jayapal, however, did not deny the substance of the letter or push Biden to engage in diplomacy. Caucus members have been calling for a diplomatic solution since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine on February 24.
The contents of the letter have been circulating since at least June, when only a handful of lawmakers signed off on the deal and were allowed to discuss party deliberations anonymously, according to two Democrats familiar with the matter. Some Democrats who signed the letter months ago said they no longer support it.
“I signed this letter on June 30, but a lot has changed since then,” Rep. Sarah Jacobs, D-N.Y., tweeted. “I won’t be signing it today.”
“We must continue to support Ukraine economically and militarily to give them the leverage they need to end this war,” she said.
Despite the withdrawal and confusion behind the scenes, some Democratic lawmakers said they still supported the sentiment behind the letter, arguing that Congress has the right to discuss the issue as it continues to approve billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine.
“I have voted for arms to Ukraine and will continue to support arms to Ukraine to counter Putin’s brutal aggression,” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said in an interview Tuesday.
“At the same time, I have an obligation to ensure that we are mitigating the risk of nuclear war, that we are ensuring that conflict does not escalate, and that we are working towards a negotiated just and peaceful solution. That is the framework for this letter.”
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday that the White House had received the letter and thanked progressives for their “very thoughtful concerns” about the conflict in Ukraine.
“They expressed support for the president’s approach in that letter, and we welcome that,” Kirby said.
Congress has authorized tens of billions of dollars in emergency security and humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the war began, while the Biden administration has shipped billions of dollars worth of weapons and equipment from military stockpiles.
Last month, lawmakers approved about $12.3 billion in Ukraine-related aid as part of a bill to fund the federal government through Dec. 16. The funding includes aid to Ukraine’s military and money to help the country’s government provide it with essential services. citizen.
This is on top of the more than $50 billion provided in the previous two bills. After the Russian invasion, financial support for Ukraine had strong bipartisan support in the Senate and House of Representatives, but conservative opposition was there from the start.
Republicans cast their only vote against the $40 billion aid package in the spring.
McCarthy’s recent comments more clearly reflect growing Republican skepticism about the cost of Kyiv’s fiscal support.
Privately, Republican lawmakers who back aid to Ukraine have said there may be a chance to pass another aid in a year-end spending package before Republicans are likely to take control in the next Congress. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from the Syndicated News feed, the body of the content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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