President Biden is facing pressure from within his own party to send fighter jets and longer range missiles to Ukraine, as Russia continues to inflict daily death and destruction through aerial attacks.
Members of congress from both parties have called on Biden to supply Ukraine with long-range rocket artillery, called ATACMS, and modern F-16 fighter jets. The administration has so far refused, saying that the U.S. can’t spare any ATACMS systems and that jets aren’t a priority.
But the U.S. pledge in January to provide M1 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine earlier this spring, after months of opposition from the White House, has given cause for optimism that the administration may come around to providing even heavier weaponry.
For the most hawkish members of both parties, F-16s and long-range missiles are the logical next step. The equipment could be key in the defense of Ukrainian people and any offensive push against Russian positions, the lawmakers argue — and some U.S. military leaders agree.
Here are the leading figures in the Democratic push for stepping up U.S. support for Ukraine.
Rep. Jason Crow
Crow (D-Colo.) has been one of the more outspoken members in the House calling for more Ukraine aid. A military veteran, he saw the battlefield impact of similar advanced weapons himself in the Iraq War, and he visited Ukraine last year.
“It is in our interest for Ukraine to win,” Crow said in an interview with the Hudson Institute think tank last week. “It’s in our own self interest to lean in and give what they need.”
The Ukrainian military has outperformed U.S. expectations throughout the war, and Crow said that the Ukrainians are “responsible partners” for our most advanced weapons.
“Ukraine is at a crucial time in the war. F-16s provide more range than ground-based systems and could help provide Ukraine with air superiority,” Crow said in a statement to The Hill.
He added the jets could “better protect civilians from indiscriminate Russian attacks.”
Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Sheldon Whitehouse
Like Crow, Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Whitehouse (D-R.I.) have also been unafraid to question Biden’s restraint toward Ukraine. In January, the two joined Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in a letter to Biden requesting advanced military aid for the war.
“The combination of tanks, fighter aircraft, and ATACMS will help Ukraine confront the upcoming Russian offensive and go on offense in both the East and the South in an attempt to further erode Russia’s capability to continue fighting in Ukraine,” they said. “Let’s give the Ukrainians everything they need to win — now.”
Whitehouse said that the weapons are proven to be effective and that the Ukrainian military has already proven itself as a military capable of using advanced U.S. weapon systems.
“Our job is to ensure they have everything they need to eject Russian troops from their territory,” Whitehouse said in a statement to The Hill. “Fighter jets and longer-range missiles will help achieve victory for Ukraine, which has proven to be a responsible steward of Western weaponry.”
The push for ATACMS is bolstered by the success of HIMARS, a less powerful rocket artillery system that has been credited as a “game-changer” in defending Ukraine.
The U.S. first supplied HIMARS last year but placed software limitations on the weapons so they could not be fired into Russian territory and could only be used defensively.
However, Biden administration officials have said that the U.S. does not have enough ATACMS systems deployed to Europe to be able to spare any.
Rep. Jared Golden
In February, Golden (D-Maine) led a bipartisan group of more than a dozen representatives in a letter calling on the Biden administration to send F-16 jets to Ukraine.
“F-16s or similar fourth generation fighter aircraft would provide Ukraine with a highly mobile platform from which to target Russian air-to-air missiles and drones, to protect Ukrainian ground forces as they engage Russian troops, as well as to engage Russian fighters for contested air superiority,” the group said.
“American leadership on this issue is crucial.”
Golden was joined on the letter by Crow, Reps. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Susan Wild (D-Pa.), Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), Jim Costa (D-Calif.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Elisa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas). Five Republicans also signed on.
“There is no debating that Ukrainian forces have fought heroically in defense of their country, but the simple fact remains: Ukrainian troops are outnumbered,” Golden said in a statement to The Hill.
“F-16s would provide Ukraine with the capability to better protect Ukrainian ground forces as they engage Russian troops and with the air superiority needed to protect their nation and people,” he added.
The war has slowed down to a near-standstill in much of the country, as Ukraine prepares a long-anticipated counteroffensive. But the Russian military has kept up pressure on eastern frontlines in Bakhmut, where forces are essentially locked in trench warfare.
Leaked Pentagon documents show concerns from U.S. intelligence officials that Bakhmut would fall months ago and that the Ukrainian military is struggling with dwindling equipment and supplies.
Sen. Mark Kelly
Kelly (D-Ariz.) led a similar letter among senators to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last month. It called on Austin to provide the senators with additional information on what it would take to provide F-16s to Ukraine.
“After speaking with U.S., Ukrainian, and foreign leaders working to support Ukraine at the Munich Security Conference last month, we believe the U.S. needs to take a hard look at providing F-16 aircraft to Ukraine,” the senators wrote.
“This would be a significant capability that could prove to be a game changer on the battlefield.”
Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) signed onto the letter, along with three Republicans.
The Biden administration has previously said that rigorous fighter jet training would be prohibitive, but the Ukrainian military has attempted to downplay the concern. Military leaders said they’ve pre-selected 50 pilots who are experienced, know English and could be trained on F-16s in as little as three months.
White House response
Despite the pressure, the White House has not budged on refusing to supply both ATACMS and F-16s to the front. At a press conference Monday, spokesman John Kirby again shot down the idea.
“President Biden has said that this [F-16s to Ukraine] is not being considered at the moment,” Kirby said. “What we are currently focused on are the capabilities that Ukrainians themselves have said they really need in the coming weeks and months.”
Administration officials have emphasized that military aid is currently focused on air defense and ammunition supplies, which officials argue are more pressing needs.
“Our focus is on Ukrainian priorities for this fight and aircraft, while on the list, western, modern aircraft is about 8th on the list,” Assistant Defense Secretary Celeste Wallander said in a House Armed Services hearing Wednesday.
“We have focused with resources on the highest priority capabilities and that has been air defense, artillery and armor,” she added.