NEW YORK — The Ukrainian government is seeking to mobilize U.S. lawmakers as part of its bid to discredit China’s so-called “peace” plan as the United Nations General Assembly gets underway this week.
Over the weekend, Ukrainian officials were circulating materials to members of Congress outlining Kyiv’s strong opposition to the Beijing-authored plan, according to a senator who was contacted on the issue.
Several lawmakers are expected to be in New York for meetings as part of the annual U.N. gathering. And the outreach shows that Ukraine is looking to U.S. lawmakers to help make their case against China’s plan, which has drawn praise from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The expectation is that China’s top officials will be making a strong pitch for their proposal here at the U.N. meeting.
Why Congress? It should go without saying that Congress is one of the Ukrainian government’s most important constituencies beyond its borders. Without congressional backing, Ukraine wouldn’t get critical weapons and equipment in its still desperate struggle with Russia.
And the last thing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to see is an effort to restrict his military’s ability to ultimately defeat Russia. That’s exactly how Zelensky views Beijing’s plan, which calls on Western countries to stop enabling Ukraine’s military strikes into Russian territory, among other recommendations.
Of course, bipartisan majorities in Congress are actively urging the Biden administration to lift existing restrictions on Ukraine’s ability to strike into Russia. So it makes sense that Ukraine would want to enlist lawmakers to help make their case to the dozens of world leaders and thousands of diplomats who will be at UNGA this week.
What’s the argument? Kyiv’s opposition to China’s efforts focus in large part on what Ukrainian officials say is their short-term goal: pushing the United States to allow it to strike inside Russia as a way to establish a “buffer” against attacks on Ukraine.
According to the senator briefed on the issue and a Ukrainian official, the materials shared with U.S. lawmakers have warnings about China’s intentions, including to “take advantage of the uncertainty caused by the U.S. presidential election.”
Beijing’s plan is described by the Ukrainian government as self-serving, with the goal of strengthening China-Russia ties by forcing Moscow to increase its dependency on China. Kyiv also warns that Beijing will try to enlist “one of the powerful European players as mediators.”
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Also: Zelensky will be at the U.N. General Assembly meeting, followed by a White House visit with President Joe Biden later this week. We’re told it’s possible that Zelensky will visit the Capitol to meet with lawmakers, but these plans are still fluid.
