A group of 30 House lawmakers on Monday wrote a letter to President Biden calling on his administration to pursue a “proactive diplomatic push” as it continues to provide military and economic support to Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion efforts.
“Diplomacy is an important tool that can save lives — but it is just one tool. As we also made explicitly clear in our letter and will continue to make clear, we support President Biden and his administration’s commitment to nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said in a statement published Monday.
The legislators urged the administration to initiate diplomatic efforts to achieve a negotiated settlement and ceasefire.
Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said the U.S. continues to work with Ukraine to facilitate the deployment of air defense capabilities to help Ukraine counter Russian attacks on its civilians and infrastructure, according to a report by DOD News.
Singh noted that Lloyd Austin, secretary of the Department of Defense and a 2022 Wash100 Award winner, talked with Sergey Shoigu, Russia’s defense minister, by phone “to emphasize the importance of maintaining lines of communication amid the ongoing war against Ukraine.”