Democrats propose transferring arms from Saudi Arabia to Ukraine | US foreign policy

Democrats on Capitol Hill have proposed moving U.S. weapons systems to Kingdom Saudi Arabia to Ukraine and suspending the planned transfer of Patriot missiles to Riyadh in the wake of what they call a “turning point” in Washington’s relationship with the kingdom.

Ro Khanna, a Democratic congressman from California who is a leading supporter of the arms freeze, said he believed Congress would “at least” move to halt the transfer of Patriot missiles to the kingdom, and possibly pause other defense initiatives.

Khanna was a longtime critic of Saudi Arabia and was one of the The original sponsors of the 2019 scale Which received bipartisan support and would have forced the United States to end military involvement in Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen. This decision It was overturned by then-President Donald Trump.

In an interview with the Guardian, Khanna said tensions had reached a boiling point that could be compared to American sentiment after the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The break in the relationship came after last week’s announcement that OPEC+, the oil cartel, had agreed to cut oil production by two million barrels per day due to strong objections and pressure from the Joe Biden administration. This move was seen as a boost to Vladimir Putin and his war efforts at the same time UkraineAnd an astonishing betrayal of Saudi Arabia’s relationship with the United States, just weeks after the president visited Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah.

“I think President Biden is wise and a realist by nature, but this was a real slap in the face,” Khanna said. While lawmakers like him have long called for a tougher response to Saudi Arabia on human rights grounds, Khanna said the OPEC+ move had galvanized members of Congress.

This is a second moment like the murder of Khashoggi. “I think that is a miscalculation of the Saudis,” he said, adding that there was still time for the kingdom to change course.

Pressed on whether the Democrats are too Likely to transcend rhetoricKhanna noted recent comments made by his colleague Robert Menendez, the Democratic senator who, as chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, said he was willing to halt Saudi arms sales.

“At the very least, the Patriots will be suspended,” he said. “The fact that Menendez has spoken openly means that at least it will.”

Meanwhile, Chris Murphy, an influential Democratic senator from Connecticut, said he believes the United States should suspend the sale of advanced air-to-air missiles to Saudi Arabia and repurpose those missiles in Ukraine.

For several years, the US military has deployed Patriot missile defense batteries in Saudi Arabia to help defend oil infrastructure against missile and drone attacks. These advanced air and missile defense systems must be redeployed to bolster the eastern flank defenses of NATO allies such as Poland and Romania — or transferred to our Ukrainian partners, Murphy said in a statement.

While the physical transfer of weapons systems located in Saudi Arabia to Ukraine would not be particularly complicated logistically, experts said it could risk accusations that the Biden administration was escalating its support for Ukraine beyond levels it deems appropriate, because the systems may require — American personnel. On the ground for support.

Any such move to transfer arms would at least be met with serious discussions within the White House and Congress, said William Hartung, a senior scholar at the Quincy Institute. Meanwhile, he said Russia’s continued attack on Ukraine means that “political considerations are changing.”

He said that changes in planned deliveries of Patriot missiles are likely to cause “panic” in Saudi Arabia, but changes in the delivery of spare parts and maintenance could prevent large parts of the Saudi Air Force.

Hartung said he believes the Saudis may be underestimating the impact of the sudden break in relations with Washington, given that the relationship apparently survived the Khashoggi murder. But in this case, Trump has been in the White House and has been steadfastly loyal to the Saudis. Hartung said he believed Biden was unlikely to veto a congressional resolution targeting the kingdom, as Trump did in 2019.

“It’s not a done deal,” he said, “but the political tide is stronger against the Saudis than it has been – perhaps ever before.”

The The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused this week Criticizing the OPEC+ decision and insisting that the cartel acted unanimously and in its own economic interest. It also rejected any assumption that it could be forced to change the course of policy.

The Kingdom stressed that while it seeks to maintain the strength of its relations with all friendly countries, it affirms its rejection of any dictates, actions or efforts to distort its noble goals to protect the global economy from the fluctuations of the oil market. .

Khanna responded to this claim.

The truth is that there are no economic justifications for what they do. This was a punishment for the Americans helping Putin.

A spokesman for the National Security Council said that OPEC’s decision last week to “align its energy policy with Russia’s war against the Americans” confirms Biden’s previous call for a “different type of relationship” with Saudi Arabia.

“We are reviewing where we are, and will be watching closely over the coming weeks and months, consulting with allies and Congress — and decisions will be made in a thoughtful manner,” the spokesperson said.