A Mandatory Congressional Anniversary Gift for Ukraine – at No Cost to US Taxpayers

Originally published in Kyiv Post As the fifth year of Russia’s illegal aggression and ongoing war crimes begins, it’s time to ask what more Ukraine’s friends and allies can do to help defend that war-ravaged nation and, by extension, secure the rest of Europe. As peace negotiations flounder, a bold new US initiative is required to fill the current leadership void and force Russia to the peace table.

In the absence of meaningful headway to achieve peace and stop the senseless killings, Congress must act immediately to further penalize Russia. Under the Constitution, Congress can legislatively mandate the United States be better positioned to negotiate from a position of strength, not weakness.

In the past, lifesaving opportunities to bolster Ukraine’s security – completely closing its skies to deadly nightly attacks on civilians and its energy grid – have been foregone despite repeated pleas to end the killing.

Recent economic sanctions on Russia are necessary but not sufficient, with much room to expand and enhance them together with our allies around the world.

And currently immobilized Russian sovereign assets within US jurisdiction are neither fully disclosed to the public as required by law nor leveraged to materially help Ukraine beyond using them as bargaining chips in discussions to end the war.

Given the failure to date to achieve peace or even a ceasefire, Congress must now rise to the occasion, reassert its constitutional authority, and impose new legislative mandates to force an end to the de facto appeasement of war criminal Putin and Russia’s terror campaign in Ukraine and hybrid warfare in Europe. Thankfully, there still is broad, bipartisan, bicameral support in Congress for Ukraine.

Deliveries included communications equipment and vehicles to four newly formed Ukrainian army corps.

It may seem counterintuitive in a chaotic political landscape with midterm elections approaching, but strong congressional support for Ukraine is real.

Doubters should remember hard evidence just last year – an amendment by Ukraine opponent and now retired Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) to strike $300 million in Ukraine assistance from the House Department of Defense (DOD) appropriations. It was defeated by a vote of 76 ayes to 353 nays. Nearly two-thirds of House Republicans voted in favor of maintaining military assistance to Ukraine, with more than 82 percent of the entire House voting for continuing aid. This is a veto-proof House majority mandating military assistance to help Ukraine defend its people and territory.

Congress must fill the vacuum left by an increasingly unpopular administration. In fact, the necessary bipartisan coalition of legislators exists today. This coalition can legislate two new initiatives to mandate financial help for Ukraine – all at Russia’s expense and no cost to US taxpayers.

First is a mandate that the President must seize all frozen Russian funds languishing in the US financial system since 2022 and put them to work for Ukraine’s immediate defense. This includes both the purchase of US-made or sourced weapons, war materiel, and related services to secure Ukraine and close its skies to Russian attacks on innocent civilians and critical infrastructure.

Second is a mandate to legislate new, game-changing economic sanctions to further weaken Russia’s increasingly weak domestic economy by targeting its financial and energy sectors.

Legislation has been passed overwhelmingly by both the House Financial Services Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to accelerate the seizure of frozen Russian funds for transfer to Ukraine with enhanced reporting and authorization to use the funds for defensive purposes. These bills are waiting for floor votes to be scheduled. The House bill, which passed 53-1 in committee, has been waiting for a vote for almost seven months.

Bills to impose tough new economic sanctions on Russia are also pending in both chambers of Congress. Eighty-five senators – a senate veto-proof majority – are waiting to vote and pass the bipartisan Sanctioning Russia Act or an amended version reportedly being considered. New sanctions on Russia’s shadow fleet of ships hauling its economic lifeline of oil have been approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and await a full Senate vote.

Additional Russian economic sanctions are also making headway in the House. Expedited procedures can and likely will be used soon on a bipartisan basis to move both Republican and Democratic bills covering a wide range of new economic sanctions to further cripple Russia’s economy.

Anniversary gifts are always appropriate, even in times of war. Congress can give Ukraine the ultimate anniversary gift this year and renew American foreign policy leadership at the same time – at no cost to taxpayers. That gift is mandating the use of Russian assets to help finance Ukraine’s defense with US weapons and the imposition of truly paralyzing economic sanctions.

If Congress succeeds in mandating a new US peace through strength strategy by veto-proof legislative majorities, then it will deliver wins for both Ukraine and US national interests abroad. Ukraine and the rules-based international order deserve nothing less.

(Photo credit: Aaron Schwartz / AFP)