MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Back here in Washington, D.C., many of Secretary of State Marco Rubio's former colleagues in Congress are voicing concerns over the initial version of that 28-point plan. NPR's Luke Garrett reports.
LUKE GARRETT, BYLINE: The initial U.S. plan has Ukraine giving land over to Russia. It reduces its army by 30% and excludes Kyiv from NATO membership. Texas Republican Michael McCaul, the influential former chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, tells ABC News the deal leaves out serious security guarantees.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MICHAEL MCCAUL: I would not advise Ukraine to sign this. They can't sign an agreement like the Budapest and then allow Russia to invade again.
GARRETT: In 1994, Ukraine signed the Budapest Memorandum, where it gave up its nuclear weapons in exchange for promised security. These guarantees didn't hold up, as seen with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Democrat Virginia Senator Mark Warner, vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told Fox News the deal was historically bad.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MARK WARNER: End of the day, we all want to see peace, but we don't want to see a peace that rewards Vladimir Putin.
GARRETT: Over the weekend, Republican South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds criticized the deal and said it originated in Russia. Secretary of State Rubio denied this, saying it was authored by the U.S., but acknowledged it was, quote, "based on input from the Russian side." But not all lawmakers oppose the peace plan. Republican Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri praised Trump's proposal on Fox News.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ERIC SCHMITT: We live in a world of scarcity. The United States of America needs to refocus its attention in a much more meaningful way on the homeland, our hemisphere.
GARRETT: And here's Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky on CBS.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
RAND PAUL: If they decide to re-up the subsidies and the gifts to Ukraine, I think you'll see a splintering and a fracturing of the movement that has supported the president.
GARRETT: In recent weeks, Trump has faced increased pressure from his right flank to refocus on domestic issues rather than foreign wars and visits.
Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
