In major break with Biden administration, 30 House progressives call for ceasefire in Ukraine

In a dramatic break with the Biden administration on the eve of the midterm elections, 30 House Democrats sent a letter to President Biden urging him to engage in direct talks with Russian President Vladmir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. In addition to bilateral talks, signatories to the letter, initiated by Progressive Congressional Caucus chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., urged the White House to support a mutual ceasefire and diplomatic efforts to avoid a protracted war that threatens more human suffering and spiraling global inflation, as well as nuclear war through intention or miscalculation. 

Despite Biden's recent acknowledgment that we have never been closer to nuclear Armageddon since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, Biden has not met with Putin since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, and he recently told the press he will refuse to meet with Putin next month when the two attend the G20 summit in Bali. 

In addition to Jayapal, 29 Democratic members of Congress signed the letter, including such prominent progressives and liberals as Cori Bush of Missouri, André Carson of Indiana, Peter DeFazio of Oregon, Jesús "Chuy" García of Illinois, Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, Ro Khanna of California, Barbara Lee of California, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. 

Expressing praise for Biden's "commitment to Ukraine's legitimate struggle against Russia's war of aggression," the letter does not directly address the question of whether the United States should continue to arm Ukraine with medium-range rockets, ammunition, drones, tanks and other weapons.

In the letter, Jayapal and the other members urge the president "to pair the military and economic support the United States has provided to Ukraine with a proactive diplomatic push, redoubling efforts to seek a realistic framework for a ceasefire." The key words here are "has provided" as opposed to "will provide," leaving open the possibility that some Democrats will oppose future weapons transfers.

But only hours after issuing the letter, Jayapal issued a clarification in response to backlash from other Democrats, saying that she and her colleagues "advocated for the administration to continue ongoing military and economic support for Ukrainians while pursuing diplomatic support," even though the letter doesn't exactly say that.

Back in May, not a single Democrat voted against the eye-popping $40 billion Ukraine package, much of it earmarked for weapons, intelligence and combat training. On Sept. 30, Congress passed the Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, providing another $12.35 billion for training, equipment, weapons and direct financial aid for Ukraine — without so much as a whisper of dissent from Democrats.

So far, the only congressional opposition to arming Ukraine has come from far-right Republicans. Despite Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's support for the $40 billion package, 57 House Republicans and 11 GOP senators voted against it. Some objected because they thought the U.S. military should focus on China or on the U.S.-Mexico border, but others cited concerns over the lack of oversight, unmet domestic needs and runaway spending.

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One of the most prominent critics of Biden's handling of the war is Donald Trump. Even though he reversed Barack Obama's decision to refrain from sending offensive weapons to Ukraine and failed to negotiate the continuation of two vital arms control treaties with Russia, Trump is now using his public appearances and the media, including his social media platform Truth Social, to call for peace talks. 

"Be strategic, be smart (brilliant!), get a negotiated deal done NOW," Trump wrote online. At a recent Arizona rally, he said, "With potentially hundreds of thousands of people dying, we must demand the immediate negotiation of the peaceful end to the war in Ukraine, or we will end up in World War III and there will be nothing left of our planet."

Also calling for negotiations is far right Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, who has said that the nuclear threat "is enough for any responsible person to say, 'Now we stop,' especially if that person is the leader of the United States, the country which is funding this war and that could end this war tonight by calling Ukraine to the table." 

Tesla founder Elon Musk, who has said he now supports the Republicans, told his 107 million Twitter followers that "the probability of nuclear war is rising rapidly" and suggested a peace deal in which Russia kept Crimea, Ukraine affirmed its neutrality from NATO and the UN oversaw referendums in the Donbas region now partly occupied by Russia.

Another newly minted Republican now condemning U.S. support for the war is former 2020 presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, who was once a supporter of Bernie Sanders and a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee. Gabbard recently quit the party, saying: "I can no longer remain in today's Democratic Party that is now under complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers." Political observers may surmise that Gabbard is positioning herself for another presidential run — this time in the other party — but in any case, her criticism of Democrats is finding an audience among millions of Fox News viewers. 

If Republicans take over the House in November, House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy has warned they may turn off the money spigot for Ukraine. "I think people are gonna be sitting in a recession and they're not going to write a blank check to Ukraine," he said recently

According to NBC News, McCarthy's comment caused such panic on Capitol Hill that leaders in both parties are considering passing legislation in the lame duck session after the midterm elections to send Ukraine $50 billion more in weapons, military training and economic aid. That would bring the total U.S. tab since the Russian invasion to more than $100 billion, which exceeds the budget of the entire State Department.

It remains unclear if any Democrats, including those who signed the Jayapal letter, will be willing to vote against more weapons. As inflation worsens and voters demand that leaders address their economic needs instead of funding endless war in Ukraine, It would be foolish and self-destructive for Democrats — especially those who consider themselves progressives — to cede the peace position to Donald Trump and the Republicans, who are bent on repealing voting rights, deregulating environmental protections and banning abortion.