Congressmen from both parties called on the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to speed up the delivery of weapons to Ukraine and allow it to use American weapons on the territory of the Russian Federation, Espreso reports.
This was reported by the Intelligence Committee of the US House of Representatives.
Lawmakers expressed their “strong support” for allowing Ukraine to attack targets on Russian territory. In addition, they propose to expand the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighters.
Mike Turner, the chairman of the committee, a Republican congressman, said that the United States “under certain circumstances” could allow Ukraine to use weapons capable of hitting targets in Russia.
“Ukrainian officials have expressed grave concerns, stating that the situation is worse than ever. The United States should authorize Ukraine to use weapons capable of striking targets within Russia under certain circumstances, train additional Ukrainian F-16 pilots, and bolster Ukraine’s air defense systems”, — he commented.
According to the congressmen, Ukraine will not be able to defend itself effectively because of the White House policy.
“Our Ukrainian allies are asking for permission to use certain types of weapons provided by the United States to conduct operations against strategic targets on the territory of Russia and Russian-controlled territories… It is important that the Biden administration provides the Ukrainian military leadership with the opportunity to conduct the full range of operations necessary to respond to an unprovoked attack by Russia on their sovereign land”, — says the letter signed by 13 congressmen as of May 21.
Lawmakers are also calling on the Pentagon to increase the number of Ukrainian pilots being trained on F-16 fighter jets.
“There is a critical need for a significant number of trained pilots who could fly such aircraft as the F-16 to be available for Ukraine”, — the congressmen reported.
The United States plans to graduate just 12 F-16 pilots by the end of 2024, according to the U.S. Air Force.
“Graduating 12 Ukrainian pilots is simply not enough. Ukraine is at war, and Ukrainian slots must be prioritized over other foreign countries“, — the congressmen emphasized.
In addition, the lawmakers mentioned Ukraine’s need for 7 additional Patriot batteries to protect Ukraine’s major cities.
“We ask that you work with us to expedite resources as our friends in Ukraine continue to defend their territory against Russia’s brutal assault and aggression”, — says the appeal to the US Defense Minister.
Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican congressman, wrote in X that the US Department of Defense must immediately comply with these urgent requests from Ukraine to prevent further Russian advances.
“The U.S., and all freedom-loving nations, must defend our allies from terrorists and communist dictators“, — added Brian Fitzpatrick.
Among the congressmen who signed the letter, in particular, congressmen Jim Himes, Brendan Boyle, Andre Carson, Jason Crow.
