A group of Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives led by Rep Michael McCaul announced on January 10 that they have introduced legislation to increase military assistance to Ukraine and give the country “NATO Plus” status.
As noted in the legislative bill (H.R. 6367), NATO Plus status would “ensure the expeditious consideration of the sale of a range of U.S. defense articles and services.” Essentially, it would allow the U.S.Congress to give special consideration to any potential future military needs for Ukraine.
The draft legislation comes as Russia continues to refuse to de-escalate its military build-up along Ukraine’s eastern flank and as U.S. and Russian delegations were meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, to negotiate demands by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin that NATO and the U.S. provide his country with security assurances, one of which is that Ukraine is never to achieve NATO membership.
“Vladimir Putin must take note that Congress will not stand for the reconstitution of Russia’s sphere of influence nor the abandonment of Ukraine and our other NATO allies and partners in Central and Eastern Europe,“
said Rep. McCaul, who is the Republican lead on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
U.S. Rep Elise Stefanik, one of several Republican co-sponsors of the legislation, noted that Ukraine must have the right to decide for itself whether or not to join NATO. “As a sovereign, democratic state, Ukraine must be free to choose its own future, including its economic and security relationships, without fear of Putin’s retribution,” said Rep. Stefanik.
In addition to providing additional military assistance to Ukraine, the legislation, if approved by both Houses of the U.S. Congress, would:
- Strengthen targeted sanctions on Nord Stream 2, a Russian malign influence project designed to undermine Ukraine and threaten European energy security.
- Reaffirm NATO’s 2008 Bucharest Summit Declaration supporting Ukraine and Georgia’s bid to become members of the alliance.
- Reject Russia’s proposal for a deployment moratorium of intermediate-range ground-launched missiles in Europe and requiring a strategy on cooperation with NATO allies on conventional intermediate-range missiles.
The McCaul-sponsored legislation is the House companion bill to the Senate Guaranteeing Ukraine’s Autonomy by Reinforcing its Defense Act (GUARD Act), introduced on December 15 by U.S. Senator Jim Risch. That bill also calls for additional military assistance to Ukraine.
