RJC Board Calls on Congress to Maintain U.S. Support for Ukraine and Prioritize Defense in Budget

Washington, DC – Late last week, the Republican Jewish Coalition’s Board of Directors endorsed the following statement:

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the world has witnessed horrifying atrocities committed by the invaders. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have been killed or wounded. Millions have been forced to flee their homes, and the country’s civilian infrastructure has been devastated.

Ukrainians have fought bravely to defend their homeland and their cause has won sympathy and support throughout the world. No country has done more to help Ukraine than our own. Millions of Americans have contributed to charities that provide relief to Ukrainians. Our elected leaders have provided billions of dollars in assistance to bolster Ukraine’s military. We call on Congress to renew that commitment, and we are pleased that key Republican leaders have pledged to do so.

Our commitment to Ukraine must be accompanied by a meaningful commitment to strengthening our military. Defending our nation is our government’s most fundamental duty. In a dangerous world, it is essential to our national security that America prioritize military expenditures much more than we have in recent years, to ensure that we are prepared to counter the full range of threats we face.

As Jewish Americans, we emphatically believe that it is in America’s national interest to see Russia’s military might diminished and its malign strategic aims thwarted. We know from painful recent history that a world where aggressors believe they can get away with using force to conquer neighboring nations is a more dangerous one.

Russia’s autocratic ruler Vladimir Putin has made it clear that his territorial ambitions go beyond Ukraine and extend to other former Soviet republics that are now NATO members. China’s strongman president is watching closely to gauge Western nations’ resolve as it moves ever closer to military action against Taiwan. Moreover, preventing a Russian victory will further American strategic aims in the Middle East by frustrating the designs of Russia’s regional ally, the terrorist regime in Iran.