GOP Lawmakers Renew Opposition to More US Aid to Ukraine; Russian Command Post in Crimea Hit

(Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (L-R) Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) walk out of the Old Senate Chamber following a meeting with a bipartisan group of senators at the U.S. Capitol on September 21, 2023 in Washington, DC. After attending the United Nations general assembly in New York earlier in the week, Zelensky is in Washington to meet with lawmakers and President Joe Biden about an additional $24 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine for the ongoing invasion by Russia.

Several lawmakers from the Republican Party sent a letter to the White House this week renewing their opposition to the US government's continued support for Ukraine ahead of President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Washington Thursday morning (September 21).

According to Politico, 23 representatives and six senators from the GOP, led by Rep. Chip Roy (TX) and Sen. JD Vance (OH), respectively, signed the letter, which outlined their opposition to the Biden administration's latest aid package.

The lawmakers cited worries about an "open-ended commitment" to Ukraine, over $100 billion in aid already approved, and what they called an unclear strategy for helping the beleaguered country.

"What is our strategy, and what is the president's exit plan? What does the administration define as victory in Ukraine?" the letter wrote. "It would be an absurd abdication of congressional responsibility to grant this request without knowing the answers to these questions."

The letter, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, was addressed to White House Office of Management and Budget director Shalanda Young.

The White House's latest request calls for another $24 billion in security, economic, and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine.

Zelensky was scheduled to meet US President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and several key political and military officials to make the case for continuing to support Kyiv in its fight against Russia.

Aftermath of the Ukrainian strike at the Black Sea fleet command post near Sevastopol. Comparison of the @planet satellite imagery captured on Aug. 22 and Sep. 21. Russia claimed that all the rockets were intercepted, and the smoke seen on the video was caused by a burning grass. pic.twitter.com/p7jTlFv8U6
— Mark Krutov (@kromark) September 21, 2023

SBU Confirms Ukrainian Forces Hit Sevastopol Anew

Meanwhile, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claimed Thursday (September 21) that Kyiv launched a missile attack on Crimea and successfully struck a command post of the Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet.

An SBU source told the Kyiv Post that several Russian commanders were at the location during the time the command post near the Belbek airfield near Sevastopol was hit on Wednesday (September 20).

"The strike was carried out after the SBU verified the data that the commanders of the enemy fleet are indeed in the military unit," the source said.

The SBU source added that Russian generals had designated this base as their backup command post so that they would not be found outside the main location.

No exact death toll was confirmed, but both Russian military manpower and equipment were affected by the missile attack, the source added.

The attack on Crimea followed a successful cruise missile strike that heavily damaged two Russian warships dry-docked in Sevastopol last week, including the Kilo-class submarine Rostov-on-Don. The recent attack also equalized the latest Russian airstrike that targeted Kyiv also on Thursday, when energy installations were severely hit.