U.S. Reps. Ted W. Lieu (D-CA), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) recently forwarded correspondence to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, encouraging the Department of Defense (DoD) to provide aircraft, air defense systems, and drones to Ukraine.
The letter stemmed from requests from the Ukrainian military for air assets that would aid in gaining air superiority in the ongoing war against Russia.
“The military aid the United States and other NATO countries provided to Ukraine gave its forces the defensive ability to stop Russia from conquering Kyiv and installing a puppet regime,” the legislators wrote. “But it has not stopped the war nor brought Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table to seriously discuss a potential end to hostilities. What will stop the war and bring Putin to the peace table is to start pushing Russian forces out of southern and eastern Ukraine.”
The DoD has recognized the Ukrainian military needs heavier weapons to defeat Russian forces.
“While we are pleased the Biden Administration will assist with the transfer of tanks to Ukraine, we urge the administration to also provide Ukraine with the air assets it needs to win,” the legislators concluded. “As Air Force veterans, we know that in any conflict with an opposing military, one of the first actions our Joint Forces will take is to establish air supremacy. Based on public reporting, neither the Ukrainians nor the Russians have established air superiority. The U.S. and our NATO allies can help Ukraine change the situation in the air domain and give Ukrainian forces a decisive advantage in the war. We stand ready to work with your administration to ensure that our Ukrainian allies have the military support they need to finally restore their territorial integrity.”