Ukraine’s top diplomat warned that the United States cannot afford to look weak in the face of increased threats from the deepening cooperation between Russia, North Korea and Iran, addressing lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha was in Washington marking 1,000 days of Ukraine’s defensive war against Russia, warning against an “existential challenge” for Western democracies in confronting lawlessness from regimes in Moscow, Tehran and Pyongyang.
“Under these circumstances, the United States cannot afford to look weak. Russia, Iran, and North Korea will perceive any sign of weakness as an invitation to directly harm American interests and security,” Sybiha warned during a hearing of the Helsinki Commission.
The foreign minister’s remarks served as a signal to President-elect Trump, who has pledged to pursue “peace through strength.” But Trump’s criticism of U.S. spending on Ukraine has raised anxiety in Kyiv and among Ukraine’s supporters that his push to end the war could involve painful concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Sybiha also criticized Putin’s threats of nuclear weapons use as “blackmail,” following President Biden’s decision in recent days to green-light Ukraine using Western-provided missiles to strike targets deep inside Russia.
“Right now, we see new attempts by the Kremlin to use nuclear saber-rattling to scare the West. Their updated nuclear doctrine and public rhetoric on the use of nuclear weapons are nothing more than blackmail,” Sybiha said.
“They have used it many times before when strong decisions were made. We must remain cold-headed, clear-eyed, and not give in to empty fear.”
A number of Trump allies have been highly critical of Biden’s decision, saying it risks escalating the war and will make a peace deal harder to achieve. However, Republican lawmakers have been largely supportive of the move.
Trump has talked about using his first days in office to end the war between Russia and Ukraine by bringing Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky together for negotiations, but has provided little details on what a deal might look like.
Zelensky has laid out a “Victory Plan” for Ukraine, with major points including NATO offering an invitation for Ukraine to join, and building up Ukraine’s military defenses to a level to deter any future, renewed Russian aggression.
While Zelensky did not include liberating Ukrainian territory under Russian occupation as a critical part of the victory plan, Sybiha rejected ceding land to Russia in exchange for promises of peace.
“We will not accept any ‘land for peace’ deals. Such ideas will only mean leaving millions of people in the hands of the aggressor and subject to genocide, torture, and oppression,” he said.
U.S. military, economic and diplomatic support is viewed as essential in helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia’s invasion, even with robust European support.
But future U.S. support to Ukraine is in flux. While some members of Congress have said they’d like to see another aid package for Ukraine, the Biden administration has so far not sent a request to Capitol Hill.
The U.S. has provided an estimated $90 billion in aid to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in Feb. 2022, and has about $6 billion in funding to use up before Biden’s term ends in January.
Supplemental aid packages for Ukraine have faced increasing opposition from Republicans, with a package that passed in April delayed for months over partisan bickering, and ultimately drawing opposition from just over half of the House GOP conference.
“I don’t have much hope for the continued American support which Ukraine needs,” Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), co-chair of the Helsinki Commission, said at the hearing on Tuesday.
