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New financial legislation to handle the Ukraine issue is being drafted, with possible action next week, according to US legislators on Tuesday. 

Republicans and Democrats in Congress are showing support for further expenditure in the face of Russian force deployments in eastern Ukraine. Some senators are also urging the United States to increase arms supply to Ukraine, which is currently happening. 

“I’ve spent the last two days on the phone with Democratic senators.” “We’re talking about creating an emergency supplementary next week,” said South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a senior appropriator.

The remarks come only days after President Joe Biden referred to Russia’s actions as “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine” and announced harsh new sanctions against Moscow. Russia’s recognition of some districts in eastern Ukraine’s independence, as well as its intention to send in troops, has fueled worries that President Vladimir Putin may soon launch a full-scale invasion. 

In recent weeks, Biden has dispatched 5,000 US soldiers to Germany and Poland, as well as 1,000 German troops to Romania, as a show of solidarity for NATO partners. On Tuesday, Biden said that previous US force movements were “completely defensive,” and that “we have no intention of confronting Russia.”

Earlier in the day, a bipartisan group of 21 US congressmen who attended the Munich Security Conference in Germany over the weekend issued a joint statement criticizing Russia and expressing support for both “a free and peaceful Ukraine” and congressional action to assist NATO. The group was led by Graham and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, D-RI. 

“We promise to work toward whatever emergency supplementary legislation would best help our NATO friends and the people of Ukraine, as well as freedom and safety across the world,” said the statement. “Regardless of what happens in the next days, we must ensure that the tyrant Putin and his corrupt oligarchs pay a terrible price for their choices.”

Key information, such as the suggested supplementary amount and what it would pay for, remained unknown. The New York Times, on the other hand, stated that the next spending package will increase lethal aid to Ukraine, assist the Defense Department in funding army deployments to NATO nations to Ukraine’s north and west, and prepare Ukraine’s neighbors for migrants. 

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, a major Republican, voiced support along similar lines, as well as support for substantial defense appropriations in general.

“We must also support the courageous Ukrainians who are battling for their country’s sovereignty.” “The United States and all Ukraine’s partners must assure a continuous supply of support, including armaments, to Ukrainians battling Russian aggression,” McConnell said. “We must also strengthen NATO’s defenses along its eastern border and make it clear that any assault against NATO nations would be met with a massive collective reaction.” 

Graham, for one, wants the cash to be used to defend NATO partners against Russian cyberattacks and to deploy additional US armaments to Ukraine. He also wants the funds to be used to form an intergovernmental task force comprised of the departments of State, Justice, Treasury, and potentially Defense with the goal of sanctioning Putin and Russian billionaires.

“I want to see cops go in and grab residences, paintings, and boats from a bunch of bullies and crooks,” Graham remarked. “I want to put money on the table so that Ukraine can fight with more weaponry.” When it comes to cyber security, I want additional protection. And I want to go big on this, and I want to go hard on it.” 

Sen. Marco Rubio, the senior Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, expressed concern about a cyberwar with Russia that “may fast escalate to something far more deadly, including, tragically, kinetic military combat.” 

Florida Senator Marco Rubio has advocated for the United States to deploy additional weapons to Ukraine. “Let’s increase the quantity of defensive armament we supply them,” he said on Fox News.

Democrats, like Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, have also expressed support for greater deadly help to Ukraine. Kelly is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, which is in charge of security cooperation policy. 

“I have supported and will continue to support giving Ukraine with arms and equipment to defend herself against future Russian aggression,” Kelly said in a statement. “I will continue to work with my colleagues and this administration to protect Ukrainian sovereignty.”

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