Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md., said Wednesday that the White House should ease restrictions on Ukraine's use of long-range weaponry in its defense against the ongoing invasion by Russia.
Cardin said in a statement that Russian President Vladimir Putin's "relentless attacks on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure is nothing short of horrifying."
Cardin noted several different incidents in which Russian forces have attacked "cities across Ukraine" with ballistic missiles, which killed a journalist for Reuters and damaged the Kyiv dam that could cause the entire city to flood.
In addition, Cardin said, "Russian forces bombarded Ukraine's energy infrastructure with the goal of freezing civilians this winter," and "Last month, a children's hospital with a cancer wing was bombed."
Cardin concluded: "Given these escalating attacks, the time has come to ease restrictions on Ukrainian's use of U.S.-provided weapons. Greater flexibility to target Russian military assets will degrade Moscow's ability to harm the Ukrainian people. The United States must act swiftly to grant these permissions."
Cardin's statement came just two days after the GOP chairs of the House Foreign Affairs, Armed Services and Intelligence committees released a letter calling on the Biden administration to remove the restrictions on Ukraine.