A bipartisan group of House lawmakers are introducing a resolution calling for the United States to support an outright victory for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Republican Representative Joe Wilson of South Carolina emphasised the need to not make the mistakes of history.
“We must not repeat the error of Sept. 1, 1939,” he said in reference to efforts to prevent the Nazis from invading Poland. The resolution would require a full review from the House Foreign Affairs Committee before it goes to the House floor. Yahoo! News first reported on the resolution.
The text “affirms that it is the policy of the United States to see Ukraine victorious against the invasion and restored to its internationally recognized 1991 borders.”
That year marked when the Soviet Union collapsed and an independent Ukraine emerged. But in 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin seized Crimea, which the United States did not stop. In addition, Mr Putin has supported separatists in Luhansk and Donetsk, known collectively as the Donbas.
Mr Wilson is sponsoring the legislation with Representative Steve Cohen of Tennessee, who co-chairs the Helsinki Commission that was co-foundeed in 1976 to ensure Russia abided by its international agreements.
“The only way to maintain peace is through strength,” Mr Wilson said, referencing former president Ronald Reagan.
The resolution comes as House Republicans have become increasingly hostile to sending aid to Ukraine. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said that the United States would not give a “blank check” to the country as it defends itself from Russia’s onslaught. Similarly, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has proposed legislation to audit speding in Ukraine.
In addition, many Republicans criticised President Joe Biden for visiting Ukraine earlier this year on Presidents’ Day.
