While the Russian shells are laying rubble in Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelensky is trying to increase the pressure on the governments in the West. They are supposed to supply weapons, not just helicopters, drones and anti-tank missiles, but above all fighter jets, anything that could help slow down Vladimir Putin’s troops. On Tuesday, the Ukrainian President addressed the Parliament of Canada, on Wednesday he will be connected live to the US Congress. There, Selenskij is banging on doors that have recently opened wide anyway.
MEPs are trying to get the White House to take a more aggressive stance on the Ukraine conflict. A bipartisan group sent US President Joe Biden a letter on Friday demanding more weapons for Ukraine and tougher sanctions against Russia S-300 from Soviet and Russian production could transfer to the Ukraine. Speaking live on CNN from the Polish border on Sunday, Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman called for Biden to request a shipment of Polish MiG-Enable fighter jets to Ukraine, which he has categorically ruled out so far.
The US President argues that Russia would see a jet deal as a direct confrontation. Speaking to the Democratic Party on Friday, Biden asked for patience and warned that a direct confrontation with Russia would mean a third world war, which he wants to avoid.
The White House has taken a cautious line so far. Before the war began, Biden made sure that the last US military stopped their training activities in Ukraine and left the country. In early March, he postponed long-planned ICBM tests to avoid sending false signals to Moscow. When it came to economic sanctions, Biden also proceeded more slowly than many in Congress were demanding: Although Republicans in particular have been calling for punitive measures against Russia for weeks, Biden only implemented them after the war had started. He also delayed an import stop for Russian fuel.
New missiles for Ukraine?
Biden always points out how important it is for him to act in step and in consultation with the allies, especially in Europe. Unity is crucial to effectively confront Russia.
NATO ambassador Julianne Smith rejected allegations of doing too little on Tuesday. Since the beginning of the year, the United States has given Ukraine aid worth $1.2 billion, half of it in the past two weeks alone. Congress has already approved an additional $13.6 billion in aid. According to Smith, the White House is now examining with the NATO allies how it could provide Ukraine with additional air defenses. She declined to give any details or whether she was addressing the demands circulating in Congress.
Distraction from their own Putin fans
Congress will hardly be able to persuade Biden to take more offensive steps, such as the delivery of a fighter jet, because he has no means of doing so. Politically, Biden can cushion the pressure, because NATO also wants to avoid an escalation.
Republicans, however, are likely to continue to vocalize their demands. In doing so, they are also trying to drown out the fact that too many from their own ranks are paying homage to Vladimir Putin. After ex-President Donald Trump had paid the Russian autocrat enthusiastic compliments even after the outbreak of war, many celebrities from the right-wing party spectrum staged pro-Russian positions for days. In the face of the images of suffering in Ukraine, the Republicans have managed to silence these voices – for the time being.
And Russia? The Kremlin announced on Tuesday that in response to the Western sanctions, President Biden, his Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin would now be banned from entering Russia.