Bipartisan pressure intensified Wednesday on President Biden to act more decisively in the Russian-Ukrainian war after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a powerful speech to Congress pleading for more military firepower.
Mr. Biden signed off on more than $1 billion in U.S. military aid to Ukraine this week but has resisted backing a no-fly zone or a deal to transfer Polish MiG fighter jets to Ukraine. He fears such a move would escalate the conflict and tempt Russian President Vladimir Putin to spark World War III.
In a stirring speech, Mr. Zelenskyy pleaded for a no-fly zone, or at least fighter jets, to beat back Russia’s devastating air war. He warned that time is running out for his country, which is being razed by Russian bombs and missiles.
“Russia has turned the Ukrainian skies into a source of death for thousands of people,” Mr. Zelenskyy told the roomful of senators and House representatives.
“This is a terror that Europe has not seen for 80 years, and we are asking for a reply to this terror from the whole world. Is this a lot to ask for: to create a no-fly zone over Ukraine to save people? Is this too much to ask, for a humanitarian no-fly zone?”
Mr. Zelenskyy also showed a heart-wrenching video of destruction that has rained down on Ukrainian cities such as Kyiv and Kharkiv. The video included images of dead children, bloodied and injured women, dazed senior citizens trudging through rubble, and a pregnant woman carried out on a stretcher from a bombed-out building.
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Lawmakers swooned over Mr. Zelenskyy, a heroic leader who has defied Moscow, and gave him a standing ovation.
The speech served Mr. Zelenskyy’s purpose of swaying Congress members and increasing pressure on Mr. Biden to do more for Ukraine, which is virtually alone in its battle against Moscow’s military might.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Texas Democrat, said Mr. Zelenskyy’s speech was “powerful” and “truthful” but also “stark” and “dire.”
“I’m thinking seriously about a no-fly zone, but more importantly, I think an option to that is a stronger push for peace and an insistence by the world for Putin to be serious about these peace talks that are beginning,” she said.
She said the U.S. needs to find the appropriate way to transfer the MiG fighter jets for Ukraine.
“They say they can use them, and they say they’re willing to put their pilots in the air,” she said.
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Russia’s bombardment of cities and civilian targets escalated as Russian troops got bogged down against stiff Ukrainian resistance.
On Wednesday, a powerful bomb destroyed a theater in Mariupol where hundreds of residents had taken shelter. Ukrainian officials estimated that 300,000 people were trapped in the city, which Russian troops encircled.
In Kyiv, a shell hit a 12-story residential building, which partially collapsed and caught fire.
More than 3 million Ukrainian refugees have fled their country in the three weeks since Russian troops invaded.
In Washington, most lawmakers urged caution about getting pulled into a war with Russia, specifically objecting to Mr. Zelenskyy’s request for a NATO-enforced no-fly zone.
“The request to shut down the skies is compelling, but I think every one of us is deeply concerned about this spiraling into all-out war,” said Rep. Earl Blumenauer, Oregon Democrat. “Putin is evil, and I don’t think any of us feel that it is beyond his capacity to use tactical nuclear weapons. He’s completely unhinged, untethered to reality, and we’re all playing with fire here.”
In his livestreamed speech to Congress, the Ukrainian president called out Mr. Biden by name. He expressed gratitude for the president’s “personal involvement” and resolve against Russian aggression. He also asked for Mr. Biden to do more to cripple Moscow with sanctions.
“I call on you to do more, new packages of sanctions that are needed constantly every week until the Russian military machine stops,” he said. He recommended sanctions on Russian officials at every level of the government who “lack the morals to break this state terror.”
He also called on U.S. businesses to pull out of Russia and impose a complete boycott on the country, and he pleaded with lawmakers to promote the effort.
“Ladies and gentlemen, members of Congress, please take the lead,” Mr. Zelenskyy said. “If you have companies in your district who finance the Russia military machine … I’m asking to make sure that the Russians do not receive a single penny that they can use to destroy people in Ukraine.”
Ukrainians suffering under Russian airstrikes say Russia’s air superiority is an immediate matter of life and death.
“There is no money in the world that we can buy for ourselves the air force protection,” Kira Rudyk, a member of Ukraine’s parliament, told a video conference with U.S. lawmakers. The Organization of Iranian American Communities, an Iranian dissident group, hosted the event Wednesday to show solidarity with Ukraine. “And this is why we have been pleading, pleading [with] every single NATO member, every single NATO country for a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
“This is not something that we can do ourselves,” Ms. Rudyk said. “And this is why we are asking for your help. This is why we are asking for your protection.”
Although a U.S.-led no-fly zone remains a bridge too far for most in Congress, lawmakers from both parties are beginning to ease objections to help get fighter jets to Ukraine.
The U.S. has become the focal point of a deal to deliver MiGs to Ukraine. Polish President Andrzej Duda has pledged to transfer MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine but wants his air force replenished with F-16s from the U.S., leaving it to Mr. Biden to greenlight the military aid.
Mr. Biden has refused to make the deal.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Democrat, said the U.S. needs to send aircraft and other military hardware to give Ukraine a fighting chance.
“Ukrainians can win a fair fight on the ground, but they face a reign of terror from the sky,” he said, adding that the U.S. needs to help “through drones, anti-air defenses and planes.”
Sen. Joni Ernst, Iowa Republican and member of the Armed Services Committee, said the U.S. has failed to stand up to Mr. Putin.
“We need to send a signal to Putin,” she said. “And the Pentagon, and this administration, are not sending a signal.”
She said the Biden administration’s warning about escalating the conflict rings hollow.
“How is it any more escalatory than what he is doing in Ukraine right now?” she said. “Get over it. We have got to do more to help the Ukrainian people.”
Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican and member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said, “Right now, the Biden administration is failing to do what needs to be done to defeat Russia.”
“Sadly, President Biden and his entire administration believe that the only possible outcome here is failure. And that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. They don’t believe victory is possible,” he said. “Unfortunately, Biden is weak and afraid.”
After Mr. Zelenskyy’s speech, Mr. Biden announced $800 million more in U.S. military aid for Ukraine. The package will include anti-tank missiles and more of the portable weapons that the U.S. previously provided, such as Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles.
The aid adds to the $13.6 billion in emergency assistance for Ukraine recently approved by Congress.
At the announcement, which was scheduled to follow Mr. Zelenskyy’s speech, Mr. Biden didn’t answer when reporters asked what would compel him to execute the transfer of fighter jets.
His hand could soon be forced by Congress, as was the case when lawmakers prodded Mr. Biden to ban imports of Russian oil. Mr. Biden resisted that move for fear of further driving up gasoline prices in the U.S.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, said there is bipartisan support, including “more than a handful of Democrats,” for getting the MiGs to Ukraine. He said the additional jets would allow Ukrainians to stand up their own no-fly zone without putting NATO countries in direct conflict with Russia.
He planned to introduce a nonbinding resolution urging the Biden administration to make the transfer of the 28 MiGs and to send additional air defense capabilities “to allow the Ukrainians to better defend their skies.”
“I am just urging the Senate to speak with one voice to meet the moment,” he said. “We’ve been talking. We have written letters. But now it’s time to take votes.”
• Guy Taylor, Jeff Mordock and S.A. Miller contributed to this report.
• Joseph Clark can be reached at jclark@washingtontimes.com.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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