GOP rep urges Trump administration to get Ukraine weapons pipeline ‘back up and running'

The Hill

10 hours ago

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) is pressing the Trump administration to rescind its pause on sending weapons to Ukraine in its war with Russia.
'Senior U.S. military officials have concluded that providing these critical weapons to Ukraine will not endanger U.S. readiness, so I urge the administration to quickly get the pipeline back up and running,' McCaul, who previously served as chair of the House Armed Services Committee, wrote Friday in a post on social platform X.
'Pentagon officials halting weapons only weakens President Trump's noble attempts at peace,' he added.
The Texas lawmaker's request comes days after the Defense Department announced it would halt the delivery of some air defense missiles and munitions to the war-torn country, citing concerns around military stockpiles being depleted. That decision, according to the White House, was based on an analysis of the U.S.'s military support around the globe.
The Biden and Trump administrations have given tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Kyiv since Russia's invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine hawks on Capitol Hill have criticized the Pentagon's decision, with Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) requesting more transparency on the matter.
'I respectfully request an emergency briefing from the White House and the Department of Defense on the Pentagon's recent review of our nation's weapons and munitions stockpiles, as well as the decision to withhold urgent, lifesaving military assistance to Ukraine,' Fitzpatrick, wrote Wednesday in a letter to the White House.
President Trump told reporters a day later on Air Force One that the U.S. has given too many weapons to Ukraine and claimed former President Biden 'emptied our whole country giving them weapons, and we have to make sure that we have enough for ourselves.'
Trump, who has spoken with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent days, has worked to broker a ceasefire in the more than three-year war, with little results.
After a call with Putin earlier Thursday, the president signaled the U.S. would not completely cut Ukraine off from assistance. He also said he was 'very disappointed' with his conversation with the Russian leader, adding, 'I don't think he's looking to stop, and that's too bad.'
Less than a day later, Moscow launched a massive drone attack on Ukraine that hit residential buildings, set cars and ambulances ablaze and left at least one dead and around two dozen injured, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
McCaul, in a separate X post, said the attack shows Putin is 'a war criminal' and urged his colleagues to pass legislation that increases sanctions on Russia.
'Russia's attack last night on Ukraine makes it clear Putin is nothing more than a war criminal and a thug,' he wrote Friday. 'And conducting such a massive strike directly after his call with President Trump is disrespectful to the president's sincere attempts to bring peace.'
'Now is the time to pass the bipartisan, bicameral Russia sanctions bill and ensure Ukraine has the weapons it needs to defend itself,' he continued. 'Putin has made it clear he will only come to the negotiating table once he realizes the cost of his continued bloodshed is too high.'
The bill, introduced in the upper chamber by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) would impose primary and secondary sanctions on Russia and additional tariffs on imported goods from any country that buys Russian oil or gas as long as the war continues.