Kansas’ U.S. Senators call for answers regarding Ukraine aid

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Following their trip with a Senate delegation to Poland and Germany to take stock of what the U.S. has done and could do to help Ukraine, Kansas’ U.S. Senators have called on the president’s national security advisor to answer a few questions.

Over a month after the start of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and after a bipartisan Senate delegation visited Poland and Germany, U.S. Senators Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) say they will help lead a bipartisan group of Senators to request answers from President Joe Biden’s national security advisor Jake Sullivan.

Sen. Marshall said the Senators want to know the speed, specifics and supply of lethal aid already provided to Ukraine.

“In light of Ukraine’s continued resistance against Vladimir Putin’s bloody invasion of Ukraine, we request you commit to a military support plan to enable Ukraine to win this unlawful war of aggression against their sovereign nation,” the Senators wrote. “America’s commitments to Ukraine and to our NATO allies demand we expedite the delivery of weapons and capabilities to our allies and partners; Ukraine can win this fight if we help them win this fight. Above all else, our commitment to our allies and partners keeps Americans prosperous and keeps our families safe.”

While in Poland, the pair said they heard directly from Ukrainian refugees who passionately stated lethal aid has flowed too slowly to the nation and that Ukraine needs more specific lethal aid to win the war.

After the trip, the Senators said they have pushed the Biden Administration for answers on what they have already provided and what more America and its allies could provide to Ukraine to help win the war.

“We request a timely response to these questions detailing your provisions, risk assessments, and strategy to enable Ukraine to defeat Vladimir Putin and return to sovereignty and freedom,” the Senators wrote.

The Senators requested the following:

A list of all lethal and nonlethal aid provided to date and the status of the delivery or estimated delivery to Ukraine.
A list of all equipment purchased or allocated for the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund that remains within U.S. stocks or control and an assessment of the feasibility to provide such equipment to Ukraine.
A complete list of all Army Pre-positioned Stocks or Defense Logistics Agency stocks in Europe by item and location.
An analysis of available equipment within allied and partner nations that could be procured or transferred to Ukraine and subsequently backfilled with NATO equipment.
A list of equipment, production capacity, and war reserve inventories the U.S. is capable of delivering to backfill to NATO members who have provided capabilities to Ukraine.

“The U.S. mission in Ukraine must go beyond ensuring the country merely has the means to defend itself against Russian aggression. The strategy must deliver Ukraine necessary weapons to defend itself, counter the Russian forces’ advance, and give the Ukrainian people a chance to win this war,” the Senators noted. “Success cannot be a Russian-occupied Ukraine - it must be a free, independent, and sovereign Ukraine. Authoritarianism cannot prevail in this conflict. Defending freedom in Ukraine is defending freedom everywhere. We anxiously await your response.”

To read the full letter sent to NSA Sullivan, click HERE.

For more information about the CODEL to Poland and Germany, click HERE.