Republican lawmakers on Sunday criticized the Biden administration for not sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, as tensions simmer about whether or not China might ship weapons to assist Russia within the year-long conflict.
But White House nationwide safety adviser Jake Sullivan mentioned they’re offering Ukraine with the navy assist wanted to retake territory seized by Russia and that China has but to provide navy tools. The home politics of assist for Ukraine are additionally difficult by some Republican lawmakers who say the administration ought to pull again and focus extra on home wants.
Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, advised ABC’s “This Week” that planes and long-range artillery might assist finish the conflict on a sooner timeline.
“This whole thing is taking too long,” McCaul mentioned. “And it really didn’t have to happen this way.”
Ukraine received assist final month from Baltic nations and Poland in its quest to acquire Western fighter jets, however there have been no indicators that bigger nations just like the U.S. and Britain will change their stance of refusing to supply warplanes to Kyiv. Biden mentioned in an ABC News interview on Friday that he’s “ruling it out for now,” saying that they aren’t the weaponry that Ukrainians want within the close to time period.
McCaul described the connection between Russia and China as an “unholy alliance” and harassed the dangers that would come from an upcoming assembly between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, mentioned the White House has been sluggish in offering the navy tools that Ukraine seeks, together with jets. “That has been a pattern with this administration from the beginning, where they have slow-rolled critical military weapons systems,” he mentioned.
Sullivan mentioned the U.S. is already offering components to maintain Ukraine’s fleet of Soviet-era jets flying, however supplying F-16s “is really a question for another day, for another phase” of the conflict, he advised NBC.
Sullivan additionally performed down tensions about doable Chinese assist for Russia’s navy.
“We have not seen China yet provide military equipment to Russia for purposes of fighting the war in Ukraine,” Sullivan mentioned.
Sullivan mentioned he doesn’t assume it’s in China’s curiosity to supply weapons to Russia, saying it could “alienate them from a number of countries in the world, including our European allies.” He additionally famous that offering these weapons would put China in a spot of “responsibility” for “the kinds of war crimes and bombardment of civilians and atrocities that the Russians are committing in Ukraine,” although he mentioned the selection in the end belongs to China.
China has submitted the outlines of a peace plan between Russia and Ukraine. But Sullivan mentioned that Xi has not spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the reason that conflict started.
The Ukrainian chief mentioned he wish to converse together with his Chinese counterpart.
“It’s very difficult to advance any kind of peace initiative when there’s that kind of one-sided diplomacy going on,” Sullivan mentioned.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”