In a letter to President Biden this week, Republican members of the House of Representatives led by the ranking members of the House Armed Services Committee and Strategic Forces Subcommittee urged the White House "to take immediate and swift action to support Ukraine" as Russian troops and military equipment continue to marshal along the border between the two countries.
Reps. Michael Turner (R-OH) and Mike Rogers (R-AL) called for U.S. support "in the form of intelligence and weapons" as well as a deployment of a "U.S. military presence in the Black Sea to deter a Russian invasion."
The letter to Biden was also signed by Reps. Michael Waltz (R-FL), Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Mike Johnson (R-LA), Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Don Bacon (R-NE), Austin Scott (R-GA), Ronny Jackson (R-TX), Scott Franklin (R-FL), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Pat Fallon (R-TX), Mike Gallagher (R-WI), and Scott DesJarlais (R-TN).
??15 House R's led by @MikeTurnerOH ask POTUS to consider sending US troops to Ukraine, immediately send intel & weapons support -- as Russian forces stage on border. T saying Russian troops/tanks & aggressive behavior fuels concerns Russia is planning additional incursions pic.twitter.com/LrCye4xkxX
— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) November 10, 2021
As the letter to Biden highlights, reporting in recent days shows that "Russia is once again massing a sizeable military force of ground troops, armored vehicles, tanks, and artillery on Ukraine's doorstep. Russia's behavior is becoming more aggressive, and it has intensified rhetoric critical of Ukraine on topics ranging from Ukraine's military modernization and military partnerships to Ukraine's admission into NATO," the letter explains.
"Although Russia's intentions are uncertain, the presence of Russia's elite 1st Guard Tanks Army lends credibility to concerns that Russia is planning additional incursions into Ukraine territory," warn the ranking Republicans. "Your administration cannot ignore Russia's continued threat to international law and Ukraine's territorial sovereignty."
The Biden administration committed $60 million in the form of military aid to Ukraine in September, the letter points out, but that hasn't slowed or stopped Russia's military activity and movements toward its border with Ukraine. "Therefore," the letter concludes, "it is imperative that the U.S. fulfill its commitment to a key partner by increasing lethal aid to Ukraine in order to deter and repeal a renewed Russian incursion."
The letter also calls for the Biden administration's "immediate" consideration of an "appropriate U.S. military presence and posture in the region" in addition to initiating "appropriate intelligence sharing activities between the U.S. and Ukraine to prevent the situation from escalating further."
Russia's escalation of military activity and the movement of troops and equipment is one of several irons in the Biden administration's foreign policy fire. China has also been escalating its incursions into Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) and continues to crack down on freedom in Hong Kong.
So far, the most the Biden administration has been able to muster in response is that it is "concerned" about Russia's continued aggression and posturing along with a warning to European allies that Russia looks poised to roll over the border into Ukraine.
Not for nothing, then-Vice President Biden was in office in 2014 when Russia "annexed" Crimea, and little was done by the Obama-Biden administration to try slowing or halting Russia's takeover.