Democrats urged Biden to negotiate with Putin over Ukraine, but then abruptly changed their minds

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Washington D.C., chair of the Congressional Progressive Group, announced on Oct. 25 that the group had withdrawn a letter suggesting that President Joe Biden engage directly with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, reports NBCNews.

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The retraction of the letter, which was sent on October 24, comes after an attempt by progressives to pressure the president to adopt a more aggressive strategy towards Ukraine was met with strong opposition from fellow Democrats and some Ukrainians.

In a statement retracting the letter, Jayapal blamed the staff for an error in publishing the letter.

“The letter was written months ago, but unfortunately the staff released it without review,” Jayapal said. “As chairman of the faction, I take responsibility for this.”

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“Because of the timing of our message, some are confusing it with the recent statement by Republican leader McCarthy threatening to stop aid to Ukraine if the Republicans take power into their own hands,” continued Jayapal, referring to the statement by Congressman Kevin McCarthy that if the Republicans regain their majority in the House representatives next month, they are not going to help Ukraine.

“The proximity of these statements has created the unfortunate appearance that the Democrats, who strongly and unanimously supported and voted for every package of military, strategic and economic assistance to the Ukrainian people, are somehow connected with the Republicans who seek to cut off access to American support for President Zelensky and Ukrainian forces. Jayapal continued.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, M.D., one of the letter's signatories, said in a statement Oct. 25 afternoon that he was "delighted to learn" of the letter's withdrawal, which he said led to "rallying growing Republican opposition to support for Ukraine" with "the polar opposite position of dozens of democrats like me, who passionately supported every package of military, strategic and economic assistance to the Ukrainian people and are determined to see the Ukrainian people defeat Vladimir Putin and drive his imperialist forces out of their country."

“In the eight months that have passed since Russia launched its brutal and illegal war of aggression against the people of Ukraine, the Ukrainian people have given Americans not only a chance to defend the values ​​of national sovereignty, democracy and pluralism, but also great hope for the future of the world,” he said. he.

In their letter to Biden, the lawmakers asked the president to combine the military and financial support the United States has provided to Ukraine with "preemptive diplomatic pressure" that includes direct talks with Russia. It comes as Republicans threaten to cut aid to Ukraine if they regain control of the House of Representatives in next month's midterm elections.

“If there is a way to end the war while preserving a free and independent Ukraine, America must use every diplomatic opportunity to support such a solution acceptable to the people of Ukraine,” the letter said. “Such a framework would presumably include incentives for a cessation of hostilities, including some form of sanctions relief, and bring together the international community to establish security guarantees for a free and independent Ukraine that are acceptable to all parties, especially the Ukrainians.”

Progressive Democrats have warned the president that "the alternative to diplomacy is protracted war, with attendant certainties and catastrophic and inconceivable risks."

The Biden administration has resisted talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict, saying Kyiv must decide if it wants to negotiate with Russia.

The letter acknowledged the difficulty of engaging with Russia, criticizing its "outrageous and illegal invasion of Ukraine" and "illegal annexations." The Progressives then argue that the US has an obligation to "use every diplomatic opportunity to support a solution that is acceptable to the people of Ukraine."

“As lawmakers responsible for spending tens of billions of US taxpayer dollars on military aid to the conflict, we believe that such involvement in this war also places a responsibility on the United States to seriously explore all possible avenues, including direct engagement with Russia, to mitigate damage and support Ukraine in reaching a peaceful settlement,” the letter says.

Many Democrats criticized the letter, which was signed by 30 lawmakers led by Jayapal. The reaction prompted Jayapal to release a statement "clarifying" the group's position on the letter.

“Let me be clear: We as Democrats are united in our unequivocal commitment to supporting Ukraine in its fight for its democracy and freedom in the face of an illegal and outrageous Russian invasion, and nothing in the letter calls for changing that support,” Jayapal said. “Diplomacy is an important tool that can save lives, but it is just one tool. As we also made clear in our letter and will continue to make clear, we support President Biden and his administration’s commitment to do nothing regarding Ukraine without Ukraine.”

Some of the signatories of the letter also distanced themselves from him. Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., said in a statement that "only Ukrainians have the right to determine the terms for ending this war." Rep. Mark Pokan, of Wisconsin, criticized the timing of the letter and stated in a series of tweets on the evening of October 24 that the letter was originally written in the summer.

Another MP who signed the letter, Rep. Sarah Jacobs, D-Calif., said in a post, "Timing in diplomacy is everything," adding that she signed the letter in late June, "but a lot has changed since then, and that today she wouldn't sign it."

“We must continue to support Ukraine economically and militarily to give it the leverage it needs to end this war,” she said.

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Inna Sovsun, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, also criticized the move, saying in a Twitter post that she was "deeply concerned" about it.

“You can’t negotiate with terrorists when they continue to kill,” Sovsun wrote.

In response to the letter, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that while the administration "appreciates their very thoughtful concerns," it would not have "conversations with the Russian leadership without the participation of Ukrainians."

“Vladimir Zelensky must define — because this is his country — what success looks like and when to start negotiations,” Kirby told reporters during a briefing. “We would all like this war to end today, and frankly, it could end today if Putin did the right thing and pulled out his troops.”

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