© Reuters. Native residents stand at a website of residential buildings, closely broken by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s assault on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 11, 2023. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
By Michel Rose
PARIS (Reuters) – Greater than 100 senior European lawmakers will ship a joint letter to their counterparts in the USA on Tuesday, pleading for Congress to unlock additional army help to Ukraine at a time U.S. lawmakers have struggled for a deal.
The open letter, reviewed by Reuters, was signed by lawmakers from no less than 17 nations together with France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Eire, and is an indication of mounting considerations in Europe concerning the continuity of U.S. help to Ukraine.
It additionally comes simply as Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy flies to Washington to make his case, forward of a decent deadline for Congress, which is scheduled to enter recess for the 12 months by Friday.
“We hear the concerns expressed by our American friends. For years, American leaders, Democrats and Republicans, have asked Europeans to take more responsibility for their own security. We agree with this legitimate request,” the lawmakers, led by Benjamin Haddad, a French MP in President Emmanuel Macron’s get together, mentioned within the letter.
The European lawmakers, which additionally embrace Germany’s Michael Roth, the chairman of the Bundestag International Affairs Committee, in addition to Giulio Tremonti, his Italian counterpart, mentioned Europeans had contributed as a lot because the U.S. on Ukraine since Russia’s invasion.
“Moreover, military spending has risen all across Europe,” they mentioned. “American military aid however is critical and urgent.”
The subsequent spherical of Ukraine help has been held up by a requirement from Home of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson and different Republicans that no extra funds be dispatched except steps are first taken to harden the U.S. border with Mexico.
President Joe Biden has urged Congress to behave by the 12 months’s finish and Democrats in Congress had been making an attempt to win approval of about $50 billion in new safety help for Ukraine.
“A Putin victory would embolden our enemies around the world: they are watching and hoping we grow tired. Ukrainians are fighting so we don’t have to,” the European lawmakers mentioned.
European Union leaders will meet for a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to resolve on proposals to grant 50 billion euros of financial help to Kyiv, assign an additional 20 billion euros to Ukraine’s army and launch accession talks.
However for that they would wish to persuade Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who touts his ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has threatened to veto the help and enlargement talks.
