Both parties in U.S. Congress urge rethink of America’s Russia strategy

That’s according to The Hill, Ukrinform reports.

The report from the Helsinki Commission, which was obtained by The Hill ahead of publication, argues that Washington must reframe its thinking in how it approaches Russia, as it has with China over the past few years, and allocate resources accordingly.

The report addresses ensuring Ukraine's victory in its defensive war against Russia, calling for "massive" military and humanitarian aid to Kyiv and allowing Ukraine’s Armed Forces to strike deep into Russia with U.S.-provided weapons.

It is noted that the policy proposals presented in the report go beyond the commitments of the Joe Biden administration to Ukraine and clash with the positions held by former President Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, and his allies in Congress.

However, the Helsinki committee’s Republican chair, Rep. Joe Wilson, dismissed the potential of Trump striking a deal with Putin.

“No question to me that Donald Trump is going to see the insincerity of war criminal Putin,” Wilson told The Hill in a brief conversation about the report.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, previously outlined the continuation of President Biden's policy for Ukraine.

But while the presidential race will certainly factor U.S. policy toward Ukraine and Russia in the years ahead, attitudes in Congress will also be crucial to setting global priorities, the report said.

As noted, Republican lawmakers are likely to embrace the report's conclusions that "the United States must prepare for long-term contestation, understanding that Russia has a centuries-long history of violent imperialism toward its neighbors, Europe, and the world more broadly."

“I think the fundamental message is that we are breaking from 30 years of flawed policy,” said a congressional aid familiar with the report.

“One doesn’t need to look far to see that every single president within the first few months of their administration, goes and meets with Putin.”

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on September 25, during a meeting of the Russian Security Council on nuclear deterrence, Vladimir Putin announced clarifications to preconditions for the use of nuclear weapons. He pushed to expand the list of states and military alliances with respect to which Russia shall exercise nuclear deterrence. The list of military threats that can be neutralized by nuclear weapons was also supplemented.

The EU said Putin's new threats to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states would not change the EU stance on continued support for Ukraine.

In turn, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said the Kremlin adjusted its nuclear doctrine in order to intimidate Ukraine's allies, and urged not to fall for the trick.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken denounced Putin's actions as totally irresponsible.

Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images