Blumenthal, Graham Urge More US and NATO Support for Ukraine

Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) (R) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) (L) speak to members of the press during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Sept. 14, 2022. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Fresh off an Aug. 12 visit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) praised Kyiv’s forces for driving into Russia.

They also called for renewed U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) support for the Ukrainian war effort.

“After our sixth visit to Kyiv, we are more hopeful than ever that the tide of war has turned against [Russian President Vladimir Putin] and his cronies,” Blumenthal and Graham said in a joint press statement.

“Ukraine’s decision to go on the offensive in the Kursk region of Russia was bold and brilliant.”

Russian forces have been fighting for the past week to contain Ukrainian forces that blitzed across the Ukraine–Russia border on Aug. 6 and spread across large swathes of the western Kursk region.

The Ukrainian foray inside Russia’s borders appears aimed at countering Russia’s territorial gains inside Ukraine.

On Aug. 12, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had captured around 386 square miles of land inside Kursk.

Russia has also begun to evacuate civilians from the neighboring Belgorod region, anticipating Ukrainian forces could further expand their cross-border incursion.

As the Kursk offensive continues, Blumenthal and Graham urged the United States and NATO to expand their support on several fronts.

Topping their list of proposals, the two senators said NATO should extend an invitation this year for Ukraine to join the alliance, reinforcing existing calls to expand it.

Putin has consistently sought to bar Ukraine from joining NATO.

In June, the Russian leader insisted a final deal to end the war would have to include a commitment from Kyiv to stay out of the alliance.

Blumenthal indicated he would also take the lead on a Senate bill to reinforce the U.S.–Ukraine bilateral security agreement President Joe Biden signed with Zelenskyy in July.

The Connecticut Democrat plans to introduce the bill in September when the Senate returns from its summer recess.

The two senators also called on the Biden administration to ease restraints barring Ukrainian forces from using U.S.-donated weapons to strike targets on Russian soil.

Ukrainian soldiers fire a M777 howitzer at Russian positions near Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine, on March 17, 2023. Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images

The Biden administration has been reluctant to encourage Ukrainian strikes inside Russia, hoping to contain the conflict and avoid the United States being seen as a formal belligerent in the conflict.

The administration began to wind back those restraints this spring, permitting Ukrainian forces to conduct cross-border counter-fire operations to target forces supporting Russian advances inside Ukraine.

Zelenskyy called for his Western backers to remove the restrictions blocking Ukrainian forces from attacking even further into Russia.

Graham and Blumenthal reiterated those calls following their meeting with the Ukrainian leader.

“After listening to President Zelenskyy, we urge the Biden administration to lift restrictions on weapons provided by the United States so they can strike the Russian invaders more effectively,” the two senators said.

Putin has already suggested that Russia could treat Ukraine’s Western backers as parties to the conflict and retaliate if they encourage expansive Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory.

Addressing reporters at a May 28 press conference, the Russian leader said NATO member nations “should be fully aware of what is at stake” by encouraging Ukraine to strike Russian territory.

“Theirs are small and densely populated countries, which is a factor to reckon with before they start talking about striking deep into the Russian territory,” Putin added.

Kyiv’s Drive for Former F-16 Pilots

Among their list of proposals to support Ukraine, Graham and Blumenthal also backed a proposal for Ukraine to begin recruiting F-16 pilots who’ve retired from NATO military service.

The NATO alliance began started working to prepare Ukraine’s air force to use F-16s last year, but the effort has thus far hinged on Ukrainian fighter pilots learning to operate an unfamiliar aircraft.

Last week, Zelenskyy announced that Ukrainian pilots had begun to use the aircraft, but said his country needed more of the jets, and more qualified pilots to shift to turn the tide of the war.

“President Zelenskyy told us both that he would be looking to supplement his air force by establishing a program to enlist retired NATO F-16 fighter pilots,” Blumenthal and Graham said.

“We support this effort. Ukraine is already fielding units of freedom fighters on the ground, and this volunteer force should be replicated in the air.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at an undisclosed location in Ukraine, on Aug. 4, 2024. Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

Allowing Ukraine to recruit former NATO F-16 pilots, including from the United States, could come with its own set of legal and diplomatic hurdles and raise issues with protecting classified information privy to the alliance.

“The Department of Defense and the Office of the Secretary of Defense do not officially comment on or endorse specific recruitment strategies for foreign militaries,” a U.S. defense spokesman said in an emailed statement.

“Decisions on such matters are complex and involve numerous considerations including legal, operational, and diplomatic factors.”

The Epoch Times reached out to Graham and Blumenthal’s offices for further comment about the potential challenges of allowing Ukraine to recruit retired NATO pilots. Neither office responded by publication.

The Epoch Times also reached out to the White House for comment on the pilot recruiting proposal but received no response.

US Election Could Steer Ukraine Outcomes

While Graham and Blumenthal presented a bipartisan front of U.S. support for the Ukrainian war effort, they may struggle for traction in the final weeks before the 2024 U.S. elections.

Both the U.S. House and Senate are slated to reconvene from Sept. 9 to Sept. 30.

After that, members of both houses of Congress expect to return to their districts, to reconvene once more on Nov. 12, a week after the 2024 elections.

U.S. support for Ukraine has proven particularly divisive for Republicans.

Former President Donald Trump—the face of the Republican Party going into the 2024 elections—has repeatedly indicated he would seek to negotiate an end to the current Russia–Ukraine war, rather than push for more military and financial support for Kyiv.

Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at the Georgia State University Convocation Center in Atlanta, Ga., on Aug. 3, 2024. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

On Aug. 13, Trump ally and former Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell reiterated calls for negotiations to end the war, as he discussed the Trump team’s post-election objectives at the European Union–U.S. Forum in Vienna, Austria.

“[Trump’s] going to say to both sides, ‘Knock it off, we’ve got to solve this, and if you don’t, there are going to be consequences,’” Grenell said.