Source: United States Senator for Ohio Rob Portman
March 10, 2022 | Press Releases
WASHINGTON, DC – During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) pressed a Biden administration witness on the need for the United States to deliver military assistance, specifically fighter jets, to Ukraine immediately. Earlier this week, Poland offered to transfer all of their MiG-29 fighter jets “immediately and free of charge” to Ramstein Air Base for the U.S. to deliver to Ukraine. The administration turned down the offer. Senator Portman pushed back on this decision, questioning the administration’s logic of suggesting that Russia would consider delivery of these planes to be escalatory and then proposing to send what the administration considers to be even more effective assistance, air defense weapons.
A transcript of Senator Portman’s questioning can be found below and video can be found here.
Senator Portman: “Secretary Karlin, you have said that you ‘can’t give planes to them because they really need better air defense. We don’t particularly think they need planes.’ They think they need planes. So, are you saying that the only reason that the Department of Defense is against providing these MiG-29s to Ukraine is that you know better than them, what they need to defend themselves? Is that your only reason?”
The Honorable Mara Elizabeth Karlin, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities: “Thank you for raising this issue, Senator Portman. I would say that we are trying to get Ukraine everything that it can use immediately, in the field, today. That is the priority.”
Senator Portman: “In your judgment, so your judgment is overriding their judgment as to what they need? Because they say they need airplanes.”
Assistant Secretary Karlin: “We have spoken closely with them, and to be frank, it is ultimately a sovereign decision for Poland. We are consulting –”
Senator Portman: “No, we have spoken closely with them also, including the President of Ukraine. So, are you saying that is the reason?”
Assistant Secretary Karlin: “Senator, I will convey all of your concerns back. ”
Senator Portman: “No, just answer my question. Are you saying that is the reason? That your judgment supersedes that of the Ukrainian military?”
Assistant Secretary Karlin: “I am not saying that.”
Senator Portman: “Is that the reason?”
Assistant Secretary Karlin: “I am saying that they have multiple squadrons that are mission capable –”
Senator Portman: “So you’re saying that– because the other reason I have heard is that somehow this would make Vladimir Putin upset if we were to send these weapons. In fact, we already are sending Stingers and Javelins, correct? In fact, you just said that the air defense weapons are more effective and that’s what we should be sending, so you’re saying that what we would like to send is more effective and therefore, should offend Vladimir Putin more than the airplanes, correct? And you can’t send airplanes. What’s the logic behind that?”
Assistant Secretary Karlin: “Thank you for raising that Senator. We are indeed providing the assistance that you highlighted, as have many of our allies.”
Senator Portman: “Are you saying that you are concerned about provoking Valdimir Putin? Isn’t that one of your reasons?”
Assistant Secretary Karlin: “I think that escalation considerations do need to factor into a –”
Senator Portman: “So you are escalating with a weapon that you think is less effective than other weapons you would like to send them. How does that make sense, logically?”
Assistant Secretary Karlin: “Our intelligence community has looked at this issue. I am more than willing to discuss it further in a classified, session but I do believe that there are –”
Senator Portman: “Well we don’t need a classified session here. Here we are. You are saying that the two reasons we are now learning is, one, that your judgment is superseding that of the Ukrainian military and two, you think that it’s somehow more provocative, even though you are saying you should be sending them and want to send them something you think that is more effective in the field that by definition would be something the Russian’s would be more concerned about, correct?”
Assistant Secretary Karlin: “We are giving them capabilities that they are using immediately. We are looking very closely at escalation throughout this entire –”
Senator Portman: “They would use this equipment immediately. Their pilots are ready to go. They’re repairing airfields to be able to use it. They’re willing to take off from highways. I mean, they want this right away. And again, I go back to what the Chairman and Ranking Member have said about the situation, it’s just dire. We don’t have time here. The maternity hospital that you raised as an example, this is a deliberate bombing of a maternity hospital. We know that because Lavrov responded by saying, ‘yeah sometimes they have militia there.’ And the bigger context here, this is an ally of ours. This is a sovereign country. So it’s okay to us to have Russia go in and bomb people and take all kinds of weapons in, but it’s somehow not appropriate for us to help facilitate what Poland wants to do and, hopefully, other countries as well.”
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