U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, urged President Joe Biden to stand up against a growing partnership between the leaders of Russia and the Chinese Communist Party in the war against Ukraine.
“Your administration’s failure to crack down in any meaningful way on this unholy alliance between our nation’s enemies cannot continue, nor can the administration’s refusal to brief members of Congress on this issue,” Rep. McCaul stated in a June 6 letter addressed to the president.
The letter referenced a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last month when Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that China provides “overwhelming support to Russia’s defense industrial base,” including 70 percent of its imported machine tools and 90 percent of imported microelectronics, imports that enable Russian artillery, tank, and ammunition production.
Rep. McCaul wrote that attempts by the United States to sever the relationship between Russia and China have failed and that sanctions the Biden administration has levied against China’s entities have been insufficient.
The congressman recently met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a bipartisan delegation to the IISS Shangri La security dialogue in Singapore, where he discussed challenges on the battlefield. Rep. McCaul noted the restrictive policy on Ukraine’s use of U.S.-provided weapons, such as mid- and long-range Army Tactical Missile System variants that have been authorized by Congress for transfer and can be used to hit Russian targets like airfields. However, under current restrictions, Ukrainian forces are only able to strike near Kharkiv in Russia, the letter explained.
“This policy restriction defies congressional intent and must be revised immediately to best allow Ukraine to defend its territory and win this war,” Rep. McCaul wrote.
“We must do all we can to ensure that our nation’s enemies do not succeed in upending global peace and our nation’s security,” the letter said.