U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron has issued a stark warning to the U.S. Congress urging swift passage of the Senate-passed Ukraine aid package. It now faces an uphill battle as the legislation heads to the Republican-controlled House.
In an op-ed in The Hill on Wednesday, Cameron, the former U.K. prime minister, underscored the stakes in the Russian-led war against Ukraine and stressed the importance of defeating Vladimir Putin.
“Now, we face a choice. A simple test,” Cameron wrote. “On the one side is Putin, hoping to enlarge his empire simply by outlasting the West. He believes we are weak. He believes he can get away with the most shocking act of national aggression we have seen in our lifetimes.”
“On the other side are all of us. We have the resources, the economic might, and the expertise. Our economic strength outweighs Russia’s by a factor of around 25 to one. They are having to turn to Pyongyang for help. All we need to do is make our strength pay. The question is: Do we have the will?” Cameron continued.
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Cameron’s plea comes as support for Ukraine aid has started to wane, especially among GOP lawmakers. The Senate passed a foreign aid package that included essential foreign aid for Ukraine. Most Democrats backed the bill, but less than half of the Republicans did.
The bill is now headed to the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), a staunch supporter of former President Trump, has said he won’t put it to a vote. As supporters of the bill seek alternatives to bypass Johnson’s blocking of the bill, the bill’s future remains uncertain.
“As Congress debates and votes on this funding package for Ukraine, I am going to drop all diplomatic niceties. I urge Congress to pass it,” Cameron wrote. “I want us all — U.S., U.K., European and other allies — to support Ukraine in fighting against completely unjustified aggression. It is hard to think of a clearer case of one country being invaded by another without the slightest justification.”
Cameron warned lawmakers not to repeat mistakes made in the 1930s when European leaders made territorial concessions to Adolf Hitler. They thought it would prevent Germany from seeking further expansion, but those concessions paved the way for World War II.
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“I believe our joint history shows the folly of giving in to tyrants in Europe who believe in redrawing boundaries by force,” Cameron wrote.
“I do not want us to show the weakness displayed against Hitler in the 1930s. He came back for more, costing us far more lives to stop his aggression.” Cameron also denied arguments that European countries have not contributed their fair share to the defense alliance.
“Since I last visited Washington before Christmas, Europe has proven its determination to stay the course. European states have provided more than half the support to Ukraine, with aid collectively totaling $170 billion to date,” he wrote, adding, “The European Union has just agreed on a €50 billion multi-year funding package of its own.
Germany doubled its military aid to Ukraine last month. And Britain has become the first country to sign a bilateral security agreement with Kyiv — an example which we expect several partners to follow in the coming weeks.”
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Still, some GOP lawmakers have criticized Cameron’s op-ed, tagging it an attack on the Republican position. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) called Cameron’s op-ed “hilarious,” adding, “David Cameron can kiss my a**.”
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