Ukraine hawks fume over weapons freeze; GOP mostly holds fire
Ukraine hawks are boiling over at the Pentagon’s decision to halt shipments of some lethal aid to Ukraine, with phone lines burning up as Kyiv and its supporters in Congress scrambled to keep supply lines open.
At least two House Republicans released statements warning against such a move, but most in the party kept any concerns private pending more information directly from the administration.
“I don’t have any reason to be upset about it until I learn more,” House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) told Politico, adding he hadn’t been informed about the pause ahead of news reports.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, requested an emergency briefing from the White House on the status of defensive arms transfers to Ukraine.
“Ukrainian forces are not only safeguarding their homeland—they are holding the front line of freedom itself,” he said. “There can be no half-measures in the defense of liberty. We must, as we always have, stand for peace through strength.”
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), former chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he led the effort to pass the most recent Ukraine funding package “to ensure Ukraine finally had the weapons it needed to repel Russia’s [vicious] and unprovoked attack.”
“We can’t let [Russian President Vladimir] Putin prevail now. President Trump knows that too and it’s why he’s been advocating for peace. Now is the time to show Putin we mean business. And that starts with ensuring Ukraine has the weapons Congress authorized to pressure Putin to the negotiating table,” he © The Hill
