US House to propose bill to boost defence funding to Ukraine, reimpose sanctions on Russia

Amid the ongoing border conflict between Ukraine and Russia, House Republicans are planning to present legislation that would increase the United States defence funding to Ukraine and reimpose sanctions on Moscow if enacted, according to Politico, who cited a draft copy of the legislation. The "Guaranteeing Ukrainian Autonomy by Reinforcing its Defence (GUARD) Act," which is the Senate's version of the proposed legislation, was introduced in mid-December.  

This decision came when the tension between Russia, the United States, and its allies spiked over Russian military deployment near the Ukrainian border. The GUARD Act has ten co-sponsors, which include the top Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs, Armed Services, as well as Intelligence committees, and Representative Elise Stefanik, the third highest-ranking Republican in the House, as per Politico. 

The legislation would allocate $200 million in defence aid to Ukraine

The legislation, if managed to pass and signed into law, then would involve the US President Joe Biden to reinstate sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline within 15 days, allocate $200 million in defence aid to Ukraine to air-defense functionality and maritime ships, and would also require the US to determine whether Russia is a state sponsor of terrorism, Politico reported.  

Furthermore, Representative Mike Turner stated in a tweet on Monday and said, “President Biden is failing to adequately arm Ukraine & deter Russia's military buildup. Today, I joined my House colleagues in reaffirming our commitment to Ukraine. The US can no longer afford to be weak on the international stage." In addition to this, this week, Russian delegations are meeting with officials from the United States, NATO, and the OSCE to address a variety of bilateral and European security problems. 

Ukraine was not invited to US-Russia discussions

Meanwhile, senior officials and military personnel from the US and Russia met in Geneva on Sunday, January 9 to discuss the Ukraine-Russia tensions and to officially negotiate Moscow' requests on the two draft treaties released by the Kremlin last month. According to a report published by the New York Times, when the officials convened to have high-level critical conversations on the Ukrainian problem, Kyiv was not invited during the discussions. Ukraine's restricted position in negotiations about military and territorial concerns on its own territory has upset the Ukraine authorities, who have now moved past the US as a negotiator and began bilateral talks with Moscow on their own.   

(Image: AP)