30 Democratic US Congressmembers – most notably the young progressives who have become colloquially known as “The Squad” – penned a letter to President Joe Biden’s administration on Monday in which they ask the administration to avoid direct military conflict and attempt to bring Russia and Ukraine to a ceasefire.
“Given the catastrophic possibilities of nuclear escalation and miscalculation, which only increase the longer this war continues, we agree with your goal of avoiding direct military conflict as an overriding national-security priority,” the letter read.
A call for diplomacy
The congress members noted the difficulties involved in a settlement, particularly with the issue of annexed territories in the east of Ukraine, though they also mentioned Biden’s commitment to end the war. While no concrete plan of action was presented in the letter, the congress members suggested that easing sanctions against Russia would be a natural step to take.
“Such a framework would presumably include incentives to end hostilities, including some form of sanctions relief, and bring together the international community to establish security guarantees for a free and independent Ukraine that are acceptable for all parties, particularly Ukrainians.”
“The alternative to diplomacy is a protracted war, with both its attendant certainties and catastrophic and unknowable risks,” the letter continues.
The signers of the letter also pointed to the food and commodity crises brought upon by the war as reasons to seek an end to the war. “Economists believe that if the situation in Ukraine is stabilized, some of the speculative concerns driving higher fuel costs will subside and likely lead to a drop in world oil prices.”
Members of "The Squad"
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, perhaps the most recognized member of “The Squad,” was criticized by protesters at a scheduled speech in October for “supporting” the war, as they accused her of not advocating hard enough for an end to the war.
Members of “The Squad” include Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayanna Pressley. The controversial new-age liberal congress members have become known as vocal critics of Israel – with several comments that have even been regarded as veering into antisemitic territory.
The four anti-Israel progressives are all up for reelection on November 8th. Omar, Tlaib, Pressley and Ocasio-Cortez all won their respective primaries and are seen as large favorites to reclaim their seats for another two-year term.