Trump Ally Asks Biden to Drop Support for Ukraine Joining NATO

(Bloomberg) -- A Republican senator and possible 2024 presidential contender drew wide criticism for asking the Biden administration to abandon long-standing U.S. support for Ukraine to eventually join NATO.

In a letter on Tuesday to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Hawley wrote that the U.S. should shift resources from “secondary theaters” like Eastern Europe and focus instead on countering China's efforts to gain “regional domination.”

Missouri Senator Josh Hawley came after President Joe Biden gave the green light to deploying thousands of U.S. forces to eastern Europe and are at odds with the position of many mainstream GOP conservatives who want a more muscular stance against Russian President Vladmir Putin.

Western officials continue to warn of punishing economic sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine, which the Kremlin denies it plans to do. Russia, in turn, has decried the presence of NATO troops near Russian borders, even it has continued its buildup of forces near Ukraine to well over 100,000.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki suggested that Hawley was “parroting Russian talking points.”

There is a growing divide within the Republican party between interventionists and those who espouse former President Donald Trump's brand of “America First” foreign policy ahead of midterm elections. Many Senate Republicans -- including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senator Lindsey Graham -- have agitated for the U.S. to take a muscular stance against Russia.

Graham, a South Carolina Republican, said it “is imperative that NATO meet the moment and that we stand firmly against Putin's efforts to divide the alliance,” Graham said. “Sending additional forces is the right signal, and over time more may be warranted.”