WASHINGTON — A group of House progressives on Monday urged President Biden to engage in direct diplomatic talks with Russia in an effort to “seek a realistic framework for a cease-fire.”
In a letter led by Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington, the chairwoman of the Progressive Caucus, 30 House Democrats called on the Biden administration to “pursue every diplomatic avenue to support such a solution that is acceptable to the people of Ukraine.”
“We agree with the administration’s perspective that it is not America’s place to pressure Ukraine’s government regarding sovereign decisions,” the lawmakers wrote, adding: “But as legislators responsible for the expenditure of tens of billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars in military assistance in the conflict, we believe such involvement in this war also creates a responsibility for the United States to seriously explore all possible avenues, including direct engagement with Russia.”
The letter came less than a week after Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the minority leader, said that if Republicans win a majority in next month’s midterm elections, his members would be unwilling to “write a blank check” to Ukraine, suggesting it could be more difficult to secure congressional approval for large infusions of aid.
The timing prompted an unusually fierce backlash among even centrist Democrats, who fretted about whether support for Ukraine could erode among both the hard left and right flanks in Congress as the conflict drags on.
Representative Ruben Gallego, Democrat of Arizona, wrote on Twitter: “The way to end a war? Win it quickly. How is it won quickly? By giving Ukraine the weapons to defeat Russia.”
The contents of the letter betrayed no new appetite among House liberals — at least for now — to choke off additional military or humanitarian funding to Ukraine. Ms. Jayapal in March put out a similar statement on behalf of the Congressional Progressive Caucus calling for “a rapid, negotiated settlement to prevent more loss of life” and “a diplomatic solution to this crisis.”
In May, when the House voted to approve a $40 billion tranche of aid to Ukraine, not a single Democrat opposed it.
Administration officials have repeatedly said that any decision on direct negotiations to end the war must come from President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, a posture they reiterated on Monday when asked about the letter.
“We’ve been very clear: nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said in a briefing with reporters on Monday when asked about the letter from progressives. “And we’ve been very, very clear this is a decision that President Zelensky is going to have to make when it comes to any type of conversations with Russia, any kind of a negotiation — that is something that Ukrainians need to make. We will continue to support them as long as it takes.”
In total, Congress has approved more than $60 billion to Ukraine this year alone by overwhelming margins, the largest amount of military aid the United States has committed to any country in a single year in nearly half a century, since the Vietnam War.
Jim Tankersley contributed reporting.
