President Joe Biden will meet with Congressional leaders on Feb. 27, with one topic being another proposed military aid package for Ukraine. The Senate has passed the measure, but House approval is uncertain.
People in Wisconsin have been talking about the aid proposal—with some saying it’s vital to help Ukraine keep defending itself against the Russian invasion launched two years ago.
The group Wisconsin Ukrainians, a non-profit which sends medical supplies, boots and other non-military aid to Ukraine, held a rally in downtown Milwaukee a few days ago to honor those fighting against Russia.
Choirs from two local churches performed the Ukrainian national anthem. There were also prayers, poems, and numerous speeches.
Several speakers mentioned the military aid package now before Congress, including Karina Tweedell: “Ukraine must be supported as soon as possible. Supporting Ukraine now and enabling victory over Russia’s armed aggression is the best way to prevent a larger war in Europe, and a chain reaction of wars around the world," Tweedell says.
The risk of a wider war also troubles Andrei Junge, of Milwaukee Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church.
“The brave men and women in Ukraine are not just fighting for Ukraine. But they’re fighting for Latvia. They’re fighting for Lithuania. They’re fighting for Estonia. They’re fighting for Poland. They’re fighting for all of us," Junge says.
He continued: "I remember when I was 16, marching in front of the Federal Building, opposing the Soviet Union’s aggression in Russia. That was called ‘A Singing Revolution.’ While many of your voices have graced our church, this is not a singing revolution. It’s a fight that requires support and aid," Junge says.
During the Singing Revolution of the late 1980’s and early 90’s Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania won independence from the Soviet Union.
But the call for more military aid — now for Ukraine — has its critics. Perhaps most notably locally, Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R). A couple weeks ago the controversial lawmaker delivered hourlong remarks on the Senate floor. Johnson directed much of his comments against Biden Administration policies on the southern U.S. border.
But Johnson took about 20 minutes to speak against help for Ukraine. “The reality that a lot of my colleagues who are supporting this aid package are ignoring, is Vladimir Putin will not lose this war. Losing the war is existential to Vladimir Putin .”
Johnson says the best hope for Ukraine is a negotiated peace with Russia. Wisconsin Democrat Tammy Baldwin and 69 other Senators, including 22 Republicans , saw things differently and voted for the money.
Now it’s up to the House. WUWM reached out to all six Wisconsin GOP Representatives Monday and failed to hear back from members Scott Fitzgerald, Bryan Steil, Glenn Grothman, and Derrick Van Orden. A statement from Rep. Tom Tiffany says the United States "cannot shell out an additional $60 billion on top of the $100+ billion we’ve sent for an overseas conflict that does not have"— Tiffany says —"a defined mission.”
But Rep. Mike Gallagher, who’s not running for reelection, says it’s important "to fund Ukrainians with lethal assistance" for deterrence in what he sees as a de facto alliance between Russia and China and, to a lesser extent, Iran.
Halyna Salapata, president of Wisconsin Ukrainians, says she is praying for Congressional support. She says she is skeptical of peace talks with Russia.
“Obviously, no one wants peace more than Ukrainians, because they are dying every day. But until Russian soldiers leave Ukrainian land, there should not be negotiations. Because as we learned with Crimea, they don’t stop," Salapata says.
Ten years ago, Russian troops occupied the Crimean Peninsula, and Putin continues to make a historical claim to the area. A claim bitterly disputed by many Ukrainians, but now part of the military funding debate in the U.S. Congress.
