The top House and Senate Republican lawmakers on foreign affairs slammed President Joe Biden on Friday for being radio silent on his flailing strategy to support Ukraine.
Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined in the letter to Biden.
Biden and his administration have "failed to articulate a strategy outlining how U.S. assistance to Ukraine will help them achieve victory over Russia, while also prioritizing and advancing American interests," the pair wrote.
In addition, McCaul and Risch called attention to an NBC News report from July that found former senior United States officials engaged in limited peace talks with the Kremlin without Ukrainian officials present.
They also complained the U.S. Congress was not briefed about the secret U.S. diplomatic group, which reportedly met with Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov for several hours in New York this summer.
McCaul and Risch then requested the administration answer a number of questions, including who was involved in the talks, if it has influenced their foreign policy decisions, and if Ukraine has been informed.
"We request that you reply to these critical questions no later than November 6, 2023," the letter concluded.
The comments arrive as the Biden administration and the Democrat-led Senate scramble to pass new security, governmental, and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine before the end of the month.
However, with Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., being removed as speaker of the House earlier this week, the prospect of his successor being more open to passing the aid is slim.
Biden admitted Wednesday that the status of the aid worries him but revealed his administration would soon announce another way it planned on supporting the country in a "major" speech.
"We can support Ukraine in the next tranche that we need, and there is another means by which we may be able to find funding for that, but I'm not going to get into that now," the president told reporters.
Luca Cacciatore ✉
Luca Cacciatore, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is based in Arlington, Virginia, reporting on news and politics.
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