WASHINGTON —...Zelensky of Ukraine will address Congress...Wednesday, Democratic leaders said, a move that will likely increase growing momentum on Capitol Hill to pressure President Biden to send fighter jets to Kyiv.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, announced on Monday that Mr. Zelensky would deliver a closed-door speech to lawmakers, an address that comes nearly two weeks after Mr. Zelensky met virtually with members of Congress and urged them to send jets to Kyiv.
I don't understand why Pelosi and Schumer would agree to have Zelensky speak again. The administration has been crystal clear that it is not going to provide fighters to Ukraine because that would more directly put the U.S. on the path to conflict with Russia. What if Russia shoots down the planes we send that we're sending to shoot down Russian planes? Now, the two Democratic leaders in Congress are adding pressure to the Democratic president???
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Few of Mr. Zelensky’s requests have changed since the last time he spoke with members of Congress, including his plea for fighter jets to help push back Russia’s advancing forces. His speech on Wednesday is likely to only rally more support on Capitol Hill for such a move. His last conversation with lawmakers left even Democratic allies of Mr. Biden urging the administration to facilitate the transfer of fighter jets — namely Russian-made MIG fighters — to the Ukrainians.
Pelosi and Schumer are doing it because they think we should provide the jets. (?)
Committed to keeping the United States from engaging in direct combat with Russian forces, the Biden administration last week rejected a deal to facilitate the transfer of fighter jets,
What do Pelosi and Schumer think of that? Do they want war with Russia?
after Poland offered to send MIGs to Kyiv, but only if the United States and NATO did the transferring. Poland also asked for its fleet to then be replaced with American-made fighter jets. Administration officials argued the move would be seen as escalatory by Russian officials.
That rationale, however, has done little to assuage either Republicans and Democrats in Congress, who have displayed far less reticence in shipping military equipment, and lawmakers in both parties over the weekend continued to press the administration officials to send MIGs to Kyiv.
