Democratic senators joined some of their Republican colleagues in calls for U.S. military aid to Ukraine following a closed-door briefing with senior Obama administration officials, the Associated Press reports.
Democratic Sens. Carl Levin (Mich.) and Bill Nelson (Fla.) joined Republican senators including Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), and Bob Corker (Tenn.).
Sens. Carl Levin of Michigan, the Armed Services Committee chairman, and Bill Nelson of Florida added themselves to the small but growing chorus of lawmakers favoring weapons deliveries to Ukraine's military to fight Russia-backed rebels in the east of the country. Thus far the Obama administration has said it doesn't believe U.S. military assistance is necessary.
Levin said he supported transferring certain types of defensive equipment.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he noted widespread bipartisan "unease" with the current U.S. policy at the briefing. […]
"The bottom line is this administration is afraid of confronting the Russians," Graham said.