Foreign Affairs on Capitol Hill | Views mine

Washington, DC
Joined June 2014
Excellent discussion with @DenysSienik And @DougKlain of how to best support Ukraine as it fights the Axis of Authoritarians. Let’s start with giving Ukraine access to Starshield over both Ukraine and Russia - so Ukraine can strike archers before they shoot their arrows
Today I moderated a @UkraineCaucus staff briefing with @DenysSienik & @MarkCMontgomery on the urgent need to ensure Ukraine has full access to Starlink & Starshield, including for defensive strikes on missile launchers in Russia. Thanks to our briefers for a timely discussion.
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The @UkraineCaucus urges @POTUS to ensure Ukraine can disable the Russian missile launchers killing civilians. “If Ukraine cannot reliably intercept Russian ‘arrows,’ it must be able to shoot the ‘archer.’ The Starlink system run by Mr. Musk’s @SpaceX could help with that.”
EXCLUSIVE: Nearly two-dozen House members are urging President Trump to ask Elon Musk to give Ukraine access to Starlink systems inside Russia to hit missile launchers, according to a letter sent Wednesday and obtained exclusively by The Hill. thehill.com/homenews/house/6…
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Doug Klain retweeted
"Trump’s peace negotiations have already gone down in history as the deadliest years for Ukraine’s civilian population since the start of the full-scale invasion."
I have read dozens of outraged posts because the US special envoy Witkoff called Putin a "humanist." But no one is writing about the fact that the American negotiators are simply not doing their job. Let me explain. Peace negotiations are important in their own right. Even if they do not lead to a lasting peace, the process itself is an opportunity to resolve urgent humanitarian issues. If, of course, the human dimension is a priority for the negotiators. But it is entirely obvious that neither Witkoff nor Kushner cares about people's fates in this war. The Pope calls on Putin to save thousands of people from starvation in occupied Oleshky and the surrounding villages. The UN speaks about a humanitarian catastrophe and asks Russia to allow the evacuation of the civilian population. European Parliament Vice-President Pina Picierno goes on a hunger strike to draw attention to this tragedy unfolding before the eyes of the whole world. And what are Witkoff and Kushner doing? That's right, almost nothing. Except for passing along greetings from Putin’s aide to the First Lady. Thousands of people are already eating grass to survive and begging to save their lives. The Ukrainian side raises the issue of Oleshky at every meeting. And I can name dozens of such urgent humanitarian issues off the top of my head where American negotiators must be proactive. Trump’s peace negotiations have already gone down in history as the deadliest years for Ukraine’s civilian population since the start of the full-scale invasion. I don’t know if anyone will remember the names of Witkoff and Kushner. But history will certainly record how American negotiators, who had the opportunity to save a huge number of people, refused to raise uncomfortable questions before "humanist Putin."
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The @UkraineCaucus hosted a staff briefing with @DenysSienik and @MarkCMontgomery on Starlink and the need to counter Russia's "Rassvet" alternative. Staff also discussed the need for Ukraine to be able to use Starshield to target the missile launchers terrorizing civilians.
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Today I moderated a @UkraineCaucus staff briefing with @DenysSienik & @MarkCMontgomery on the urgent need to ensure Ukraine has full access to Starlink & Starshield, including for defensive strikes on missile launchers in Russia. Thanks to our briefers for a timely discussion.
At the invitation of @UkraineCaucus, together with Rear Admiral (Ret.) @MarkCMontgomery, I briefed congressional staffers on Ukraine’s technological advances and the critical role of Starlink and Starshield in Ukraine’s defense. We also discussed Russia’s Rassvet satellite system, reportedly developed with products from Chinese companies, and the security risks it could pose once operational. We must act now and sanction those involved before this technology further strengthens Russia’s military capabilities. Thank you, @DougKlain for excellent moderation and organisation.
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"A town got hit or whatever." Anhelina, a one-year-old, was killed in her stroller by a Russian Shahed yesterday in Kharkiv. Her mother, Inna Mariukhna, was also killed.
⚡️ "Some people in a town that got hit or whatever, but mostly soldiers die." Trump on Russian shelling of civilians in Ukraine.
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This morning I joined Congressional leaders in meeting with President @ZelenskyyUA to discuss the urgent need for the US to end restrictions on Starlink and fully restore intelligence sharing to save Ukrainian lives from Russian strikes. By restricting these tools, the Trump Administration isn't just leaving Ukrainians out to dry, it's also endangering American diplomats and servicemembers stationed at our US Embassy in Kyiv. We must stand up to Vladimir Putin, and protect our people, and our Ukrainian allies.
Thank you, @SenBlumenthal and @SenThomTillis, for the opportunity to meet with you and your colleagues from both parties and both chambers of Congress. I informed them about Russia’s brutal “shahed” drone attack in the Kharkiv region, where Russia killed six people, including a mother and her child, who was just over a year old. I showed the horrifying photos from the scene – a child killed in a stroller… This is how Russia responds to sanctions waivers and reduced pressure. I also explained where things stand with intelligence sharing and Starlink operations in Ukraine. Unfortunately, we received no early warning from our partners about the first wave of the Russian ballistic missile attack last night. And we still face speed restrictions on Starlink and Starshield services in different parts of the front. No explanation for either of these issues has been provided to Ukraine by the American side. Our teams will follow up on everything discussed today. I thank everybody who participated in this call for their strong support.
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THREAD: Joined Senator Tillis today to host an update from President Zelenskyy with bipartisan colleagues—hearing from him highly alarmingly that intelligence sharing & Starshield access are still partially degraded. 1/
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Ukraine’s top diplomat in Washington 👇 four days on and after global outrage, Starshield remains throttled.
Based on the information currently available to us, we cannot confirm that Starshield’s full capabilities have been restored. Four (4!) days after we submitted our inquiries, we have yet to receive a response from the Pentagon or SpaceX. We hope to receive confirmation that unlimited speeds have been restored and that Starshield is operating as it did previously, providing reliable communications essential to protecting our people amid intensified Russian aerial attacks.
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Doug Klain retweeted
I visited Ukraine and other European allies in June to discuss US support for Ukraine. They all urged us to pass the Graham sanctions bill to show bipartisan Congressional support for Ukraine even amidst Trump’s shameful capitulation to Putin. We showed whose side we’re on and Trump has made clear whose side he’s on. American voters—take note!
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“Putin wants peace more than Zelenskyy does.” — Trump Meanwhile, Ukraine yesterday.
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Imagine you’re at work and get a warning on your phone you have three minutes before a ballistic missile hits, three minutes to get to a shelter. “Now imagine you don’t get those three minutes.” Thats what’s at stake with Trump Admin threats to cut intelligence for Ukraine 👇
Watch Razom Senior Advisor Mykola Murskyj on @BBCWorld with Amanda Walker. “It’s absolutely crucial that we lift the Starshield restrictions. Whether it’s SpaceX or the Pentagon, it’s important for Ukrainians to have all the tools at their disposal to intercept, for example, the jet-powered drones Russia is using to wreak havoc on Ukrainian cities...If that doesn’t happen, many more people will die.”
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Doug Klain retweeted
"Musk was alarmed about the possibility of adverse consumer reaction in Europe." ...not the Ukrainians being murdered? Got it.
EXCLUSIVE: Elon Musk came to Donald Trump with the plan to throttle Ukraine’s use of SpaceX’s Starshield satellite internet network, sources have told the Telegraph. The tech billionaire made the proposal during the US President’s row with Volodymyr Zelensky over strikes on Russian oil refineries. ‘The reality is that they were both in it,’ a senior source said of Musk’s and Trump’s involvement. But after a night of carnage in Kyiv caused by the slowdown, Musk was alarmed about the possibility of adverse consumer reaction in Europe. The SpaceX boss then proceeded to tweet, blaming the US administration, and ultimately, President Trump for authorising the slowdown. ‘He tweeted out that he was innocent and that it was the US administration that did it,’ the source said.
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So they both did it. One is pursuing money, while the other is afraid of losing power in Congress. And both apparently decided to sacrifice Ukrainian civilian lives just to play politics, manufacture a scandal, and pressure Kyiv into surrendering to russia. I have no words.
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“Do you think you are being treated as a scapegoat for his own problems?” Zelensky:
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Doug Klain retweeted
I can't believe Zelenskyy didn't accept Trump's offer of having Russia attack Ukraine more and Ukraine getting nothing in return
(non-existent) energy ceasefire officially kaput w/ zelenskyy announcing resumption of attacks on russian energy targets. trump surely furious
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The latest reporting suggests this strategic snafu may have occurred more locally within DOD Starshield systems, not with Starlink or SpaceX. I’m not holding my breath for Defense Secretary Hegseth to offer transparency, so we’ll be asking the DOD Inspector General to initiate an investigation and report back to Congress and the American People. Meanwhile, both Ukrainian civilians and U.S. diplomatic and security personnel were placed at unnecessary risk and without warning. At best, this was an unacceptable error or lapse, and at worst a conscience decision to clear the field for a Russian attack.
.@elonmusk please tell me these overnight disruptions to Starlink terminals in Ukraine were unintended - that @SpaceX is doing everything it can to fix a temporary glitch. I'm confident this does not reflect a change in SpaceX policy because if so, intentionally degrading Ukraine's ability to defend itself might be construed as aiding and abetting a mass murderer. Can you confirm that's not SpaceX’s intent? Ukrainians simply want to live in peace. They did not ask Putin to bomb their homes, schools and hospitals. They do not want Putin to kidnap and brainwash their children. They are not interested in destroying energy infrastructure - in Ukraine or in Russia. They only want to defend their country and live their lives. Supporting Ukrainian sovereignty - or at the very least, allowing for it - should not be a gray area for the U.S. government or for American corporations. Can you clarify the SpaceX position? nbcnews.com/world/ukraine/uk…
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Whether Americans recognize it or not, Trump’s betrayal of Ukraine has done generational harm to America. After aiding an adversary that targets our own, at the expense of a nation seeking to live freely, what ally would trust us? We can and must reverse this insanity.
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