In response to a recent buildup of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border, U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) joined his fellow co-chairs of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus and 18 other lawmakers in urging President Joe Biden to provide increased military defensive assistance to Ukraine.
“We write to express our deep concern and growing alarm at increasing Russian hostilities on NATO’s eastern flank,” Rep. Fitzpatrick and the members wrote in a Dec. 8 letter sent to the president. “As one of our strongest partners in the region, we must work to preserve Ukraine’s future as a free state.”
The members wrote that it’s crucial that the United States provide Ukraine with more military assistance, including air defense and anti-ship systems, and they called on the administration to fully sanction the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and its operator Nord Stream AG, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Russia’s Gazprom.
Among the lawmakers who joined Rep. Fitzpatrick in signing the letter were caucus co-chairs U.S. Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Andy Harris (R-MD), and Mike Quigley (D-IL), and lawmakers including U.S. Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Peter Meijer (R-MI).
Rep. Fitzpatrick and his colleagues pointed out that Russia has significantly increased its aggression toward Central and Eastern Europe in efforts to undermine transatlantic security, according to their letter.
“Its military buildup along the Ukrainian-Russian border — the second of this year — is reminiscent of the actions it took before its 2014 illegal war and occupation of Ukrainian territories,” they wrote, noting that on Nov. 29, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko announced joint military drills with Russia.
The lawmakers wrote that the Biden administration must use all available tools to deter Russia from taking further action against Ukraine, including economic sanctions.
“The Kremlin has clearly helped to manufacture a European energy crisis to coerce our allies to complete the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and undermine democratic institutions,” their letter continues. “To counter Russia’s clear and ongoing weaponization of energy, Congress has voted three times on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis to place sanctions on Nord Stream 2.
“We strongly urge your administration to immediately institute sanctions against Nord Stream AG,” they wrote.