Democrats want Obama to arm Ukraine


On Monday, President Obama announced that no decision has been made about the U.S. arming Ukraine. Now, top Democrats are urging Obama to give Ukraine weapons to fight Putin's agents, who have taken over hundreds of square miles of Ukrainian territory.
Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, will join Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) on Tuesday to present a bill advising Obama to give weapons to Ukraine's government. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), and Ukrainian Caucus co-chairs Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), and Sander Levin (D-Mich.) have also expressed support for arming Ukraine. Secretary of State John Kerry is reportedly in favor of providing weapons to Ukraine, too.
In Monday's announcement, however, Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said they were committed to finding a diplomatic solution to the conflict. Obama added, however, that all options, including providing weapons, are still on the table.
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Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
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