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Progressive “Squad” members in the House of Representatives who attached themselves to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have refused to comment since the organization published a controversial statement about the Russian invasion of Ukraine on social media.
The DSA, an increasingly vocal political group in the U.S., released a statement Saturday in which it urged a total cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine. The socialist group also demanded that the U.S. withdraw from NATO, claiming that it was American “imperialist expansionism” that ultimately caused the violent invasion.
The DSA wrote that their organization “reaffirms our call for the US to withdraw from NATO and to end the imperialist expansionism that set the stage for this conflict.”
UN DIPLOMATS FILE OUT OF MEETINGS IN GENEVA AS RUSSIA DEFENDS INVASION: WATCH VIDEO
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks with reporters on June 17, 2021, as she arrives on Capitol Hill.
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
DSA members currently in office have been silent on the statement since it was published. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., and Cori Bush, D-Mo., have all been vocal supporters of the group, appearing at DSA events and registering with the labor group ahead of their elections.
Fox News Digital reached out to the four representatives for comment but did not receive any responses.
In their statement, the DSA appealed to both sides of the violent invasion, saying the working class of both countries would be negatively impacted by the Russian military campaign into the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
“We stand in solidarity with the working classes of Ukraine and Russia who will undoubtedly bear the brunt of this war, and with antiwar protesters in both countries and around the world who are calling for a diplomatic resolution,” the DSA wrote.
“This extreme and asymmetrical escalation is an illegal act under the United Nations Charter and severely threatens the livelihoods and well-being of working-class peoples in Ukraine, Russia and across the region,” they added. “We urge an immediate cease-fire and the total withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine.”
Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey commented on the statement, saying, “I could not disagree more strongly with the DSA’s call to pull out of NATO. That we would leave NATO, the security alliance that helped end the constant cycle of war in Europe – wars we were pulled into – is irresponsible, not supportive of democracy, and contrary to our ideals.”
Jamaal Bowman campaigns for Congress at a polling place in Mt. Vernon, New York, on June 23, 2020.
(Reuters/Lucas Jackson)
More than 100 U.N. diplomats walked out of two meetings in Geneva on Tuesday as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov began to defend Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has claimed its invasion of Ukraine and attempt to take over its democratic government is an effort to “de-nazify” the country and restore peace, but critics around the world say Russia’s attacks have done anything but.
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“Today the dangers that [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy’s regime pose for neighboring countries and international security in general have increased substantially after the authorities set up in Kyiv have embarked upon dangerous games related to plans to acquire their own nuclear weapons,” Lavrov said in his remote address before the U.N. Conference on Disarmament and the Human Rights Council on Tuesday.
As he spoke, “more than 140” diplomats walked out of the meeting, Austrian diplomat Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger said in a tweet showing video footage of U.N. representatives filing out of the Council Chamber.
Fox News’s Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
