When Russia’s Vladimir Putin talks about his war in Ukraine, he generally maintains a ridiculous pretense about wanting peace talks. This week, however, the authoritarian leader didn’t bother. NBC News highlighted a striking quote from his latest interview with Russian state television, which was released this morning.
“For us to negotiate now just because they are running out of ammunition is somewhat ridiculous on our part,” Putin said, referring to severe ammunition shortages Ukraine has experienced as new U.S. military aid remains stalled in Congress and Kyiv’s European counterparts have struggled to supply the ammunition that has been promised.
In other words, Putin maintained the pretense about negotiations when Ukraine — the country Russia invaded without provocation — was in a position of greater military strength. But with congressional Republicans in the United States balking at renewed support for their ostensible allies in Kyiv, Putin no longer sees the point.
Why pursue talks, the argument goes, with an enemy that’s running out of ammunition?
All of which helped set the stage for a related question directed at Capitol Hill: Will congressional Republicans ever step up in support of Ukraine?
Yesterday afternoon, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who’s spent much of his career avoiding trying to steer events in the lower chamber, offered some fresh advice for House Speaker Mike Johnson. “I want to encourage the speaker to allow a vote so that the House can speak,” the Kentucky Republican said, referring to the bipartisan Senate bill that’s been pending for weeks.
By all appearances, Johnson will continue to ignore this advice, which means proponents of Ukraine aid will have to explore alternative strategies. It’s against this backdrop that Politico reported:
House Dems are launching a discharge petition, a legislative maneuver that can force a bill to the floor if a majority of lawmakers sign on. But the move faces long odds in the House, with some Democrats expected to oppose the legislation over concerns about supplying unrestricted aid to Israel, and Republicans also resistant to sending Ukraine aid and wary of bucking their leadership.
The effort is being spearheaded by Rules Committee Ranking Member Jim McGovern who told reporters the initiative will play a role in “hopefully increasing the pressure on the speaker of the House to do what he should do.”
The Massachusetts Democrat’s phrasing seemed to suggest that he doesn’t fully expect the discharge petition to reach the necessary number of signatures, though the effort might contribute to a broader political push.
In the meantime, as a Washington Post report added, McGovern’s effort is designed to bring the Senate bill to the House floor for a vote, but there’s also a separate measure, spearheaded by Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, seeking signatures on a Ukraine aid package that includes additional U.S. border reforms.
As of a few minutes ago, McGovern’s discharge petition had 177 signatures. The Fitzpatrick-led effort has 14 signatures. The goal is 218 signatures.
It’s a process that Putin will likely be keeping an eye on. Watch this space.