Senate Intelligence Committee members push for supporting Ukraine through increase intelligence sharing

Republicans on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, led by Vice Chairman Marco Rubio (R-FL), wrote to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines this week urging U.S. intelligence agencies to actively share helpful intelligence with their Ukrainian counterparts.

Meant to more directly aid Ukraine as it fights off an invasion from Russia, the request simultaneously praised the efforts of the nation’s military to date while raising concerns that the United States may not be assisting Ukraine as much as it could.

“We remain deeply concerned that not enough is being done to share critical intelligence that would assist the Ukrainians as Russian forces move to secure territory in the southern and eastern parts of the country,” the lawmakers wrote.

Russia recently shifted the focus of its invasion to the southern and eastern parts of its neighboring nation after a failed offensive on its capital Kyiv, heavy losses, and organizational shakeups. The Republicans’ request also followed revelations and accusations of war crimes by occupying forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Western governments that more than 300 civilians were killed or tortured in and around the town of Bucha, with more dead found as Ukrainian forces pushed to recapture lost ground.

President Joe Biden accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of genocide earlier this week and of trying to wipe out the idea of Ukrainian identity.

“More evidence is coming out of the horrible things that the Russians have done in Ukraine,” Biden said later. “And we’re going to only learn more and more about the devastation. We’ll let the lawyers decide internationally whether or not it qualifies, but it sure seems that way to me.”

Russia denied the claims.

For Intelligence Republicans’ parts, they see information sharing as a key way to help Ukrainians protect, defend and retake sovereign territory – including the eastern Donbas region and Crimea, the latter of which Russia seized and has held since 2014.

“The people of Ukraine are inspiring the world by their bravery and courage in the face of increasing cruelty and mounting evidence of atrocities and crimes against humanity committed by Putin’s military,” the lawmakers said. “We must stand with them in their darkest hour and provide them with as much information as quickly as possible.”

In addition to Rubio, other contributors to the letter included U.S. Sens. Richard Burr (R-NC), James Risch (R-ID), Susan Collins (R-ME), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Tom Cotton (R-AR), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Ben Sasse (R-NE).