US Democrats Urge Joe Biden To Negotiate With Russia To End Ukraine War

Left-wing US lawmakers on Monday urged President Joe Biden to seek a negotiated settlement with Russia to end the Ukraine war including by exploring security arrangements acceptable to both sides.

On Monday, left-wing US lawmakers urged President Joe Biden to seek a negotiated settlement with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, including by exploring mutually acceptable security arrangements.

in a message,

30 House Democrats led by Biden have made it clear that they oppose Russia's "blatant and illegal invasion of Ukraine" and agreed with the White House that settlement is up to how.

But as lawmakers responsible for spending tens of billions of American taxpayer dollars on military assistance in the conflict,

"We believe that such involvement in this war also creates a responsibility for the United States to seriously explore all possible avenues," said lawmakers headed by Representative Pramila Jayapal, leader of the House Progressive Caucus.

They called for direct engagement with Russia to find a solution "acceptable to the people of Ukraine."

"Such a framework is supposed to include incentives to end hostilities, including some form of sanctions relief, and bring the international community together to put in place security guarantees for a free and independent Ukraine that are acceptable to all parties, especially Ukrainians," they wrote.

"The alternative to diplomacy is protracted war, with its attendant certainty and catastrophic and unknown risks."

Russian President Vladimir Putin, before launching the invasion on February 24, had demanded guarantees that the former Soviet republic would never join NATO, the Western military alliance.

US officials were skeptical that NATO was his real concern, noting that the likelihood of Ukraine joining the alliance was slim, but that it engaged in high-level talks with Russia until the invasion.

Asked about the letter, State Department spokesman Ned Price said: "No one wants to see this war end more than our Ukrainian counterparts."

"We don't know when that will happen mainly and only because we haven't seen any indication from the Russians that they are willing to engage in that diplomacy and dialogue," he told reporters.

“We have given our Ukrainian partners what they need on the battlefield until the negotiating table appears,

"They will be in the strongest possible position," Price said.

"We've been very clear: There is nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine," White House Press Secretary Karen-Jean-Pierre said separately.

In May, the United States approved $40 billion in aid to Ukraine,

Leading Western efforts to provide arms and support an economy devastated by Russian attacks.

BY
ProBuzzFeed