This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
The U.S. Congressional Progressive Caucus has withdrawn a letter to the White House urging a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine.
The letter, signed by 30 members of the caucus, urged President Joe Biden to “pursue direct diplomacy” with Russia to seek a negotiated settlement to end the war. The letter became public on October 24.
The letter held out the possibility of sanctions relief for Russia and a potential new European security framework with guarantees for all sides.
It said funding for weapons that Congress has approved for Ukraine created a “responsibility for the United States to seriously explore all possible avenues.”
The chairwoman of the caucus, Representative Pramila Jayapal (Democrat-Washington), said in a statement on October 25 that the letter was drafted several months ago but was “released by staff without vetting.”
Jayapal said she accepted responsibility.
She regretted that the letter created the appearance of an equivalence between Democrats’ view and that of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Republican-California), who said earlier this month that there would be no “blank check” for Ukraine if Republicans take over the House of Representatives in the November 8 elections.
“Nothing could be further from the truth. Every war ends with diplomacy, and this one will too after Ukrainian victory,” Jayapal said in her October 25 statement. “The letter sent yesterday, although restating that basic principle, has been conflated with GOP opposition to support for the Ukrainians’ just defense of their national sovereignty. As such, it is a distraction at this time, and we withdraw the letter.”
Some members of the caucus had pushed back on the letter even before it was withdrawn.
“The way to end a war? Win it quickly. How is it won quickly? By giving Ukraine the weapons to defeat Russia,” Representative Ruben Gallego (Democrat-Arizona) tweeted late on October 24.
Representative Mark Takano (Democrat-California) released a statement vowing to back continued funding “to aid Ukrainian self-determination and ensure the people of Ukraine have the tools they need to protect their hard-won democracy.”
