US left-wing lawmakers pull letter urging talks with Russia

WASHINGTON: Left-wing US lawmakers on Tuesday withdrew a letter that appealed to President Joe Biden to negotiate with Russia, saying they were not joining Republicans who question support for Ukraine.

Days before congressional elections, Representative Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, took responsibility and said that staff released the letter on Monday that had been drafted months ago and was not vetted.

She regretted that the letter was being “conflated” with recent remarks by House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy who warned there would be no “blank cheque” to Ukraine if his party wins control of the chamber on Nov 8.

“The proximity of these statements created the unfortunate appearance that Democrats… are somehow aligned with Republicans who seek to pull the plug on American support for President (Volodymyr) Zelensky,” Jayapal said in a statement. “Nothing could be further from the truth. Every war ends with diplomacy, and this one will too after Ukrainian victory,” she said.

The original letter, signed by 30 Democrats, urged the Biden administration to negotiate directly with Russia, saying that funding for weapons created a “responsibility for the United States to seriously explore all possible avenues”.

The appeal held out the possibility of sanctions relief for Russia and a potential new European security framework with guarantees for all sides.