A bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation visited Ukraine over the weekend as tensions regarding a potential Russian military invasion against the former Soviet-controlled nation grow.
Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations, organized the trip. Reps. Seth Moulton (D-MA), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Mike Waltz (R-FL), and Joe Wilson (R-SC) also joined the delegation.
.@RepRubenGallego @RepJoeWilson @RepCarbajal @RepMoulton & @michaelgwaltz reaffirmed 🇺🇸 support for 🇺🇦’s sovereignty & territorial integrity & reaffirmed our commitment to taking strong measures in response to any further 🇷🇺 incursion. pic.twitter.com/VQpnUVAx5K
— U.S. Embassy Kyiv (@USEmbassyKyiv) December 13, 2021
The Daily Wire reported on Sunday:
The Group of Seven (G7) nations released a statement on Sunday opposing any potential Russian invasion of Ukraine, warning of “severe costs” if any attack should occur.
The statement from the G7 nations included the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the U.S., along with the High Representative of the European Union. The nations proclaimed that they “are united in our condemnation of Russia’s military build-up and aggressive rhetoric towards Ukraine.”
The statement also called on Russia to de-escalate its current actions.
“We call on Russia to de-escalate, pursue diplomatic channels, and abide by its international commitments on transparency of military activities as President Biden did in his call with President Putin on 7 December,” the leaders said.
“We reconfirm our support for the efforts of France and Germany in the Normandy Format to achieve full implementation of the Minsk Agreements in order to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine,” the statement added.
The G7 FMs call on Russia to de-escalate, pursue diplomatic channels, and abide by its international commitments on transparency of military activities. Further military aggression against Ukraine would have massive consequences and severe cost in response.https://t.co/hKGMrDZcsV
— Ned Price (@StateDeptSpox) December 12, 2021
The developments have taken place since Biden met with Putin during a virtual meeting on December 7. Biden warned of severe consequences if Russia initiated any military invasion in Ukraine.
During a discussion last week, Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said the “odds are high” that Russia will invade Ukraine within 90 days.
“If Joe Biden doesn’t change course, declassified documents say the odds are high that within 90 days Russia will invade Ukraine and take a major step towards reassembling the Soviet Union. It is astounding! Biden is too weak to stand up to Putin,” Cruz tweeted.
If Joe Biden doesn’t change course, declassified documents say the odds are high that within 90 days Russia will invade Ukraine and take a major step towards reassembling the Soviet Union. It is astounding! Biden is too weak to stand up to Putin. #Verdict https://t.co/DYBPPeyqLa pic.twitter.com/IHcBnIpcsb
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 11, 2021
In another post, Cruz criticized Biden, stating, “Russian invasion of Ukraine would be Biden’s fault after Afghanistan ‘surrender.”
Ted Cruz: Russian invasion of Ukraine would be Biden’s fault after Afghanistan ‘surrender’https://t.co/9ED7PYjRsg
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 8, 2021