Very tense negotiations in the US Congress over aid for Ukraine
Democrats and Republicans were sharply opposed on Tuesday during a session of the US Congress on aid to Ukraine, with the new capital framework for Kiev’s offensive the focus of bitter negotiations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was scheduled to take part in this closed press conference via video conference, canceled his intervention at the last minute without giving any reason.
American President Joe Biden’s promise to continue financial support for Ukraine is in serious jeopardy, a catastrophic scenario for Kiev, whose summer counteroffensive failed to produce the territorial gains it had hoped for.
A first procedural vote scheduled for Wednesday in Congress on a new military, humanitarian and macroeconomic component for Kyiv should, barring any surprises, fail. Aware that the sense of urgency in Washington has waned since the start of the war, the American president on October 20 called for his request for aid to Ukraine – more than 61 billion dollars (approximately 57 billion euros) – to be reduced to one of about 14 billion for Israel, the historic ally of the United States in the war against Hamas. But conservative elected officials are making aid contingent on tightening migration policies amid the arrival of migrants at the border with Mexico. What the Democrats are rejecting at the moment.
Negotiations over the package are so tense that several members of Congress reported screaming and shouting during Tuesday afternoon’s session. The Republicans then left the hall as a unit. “They chose to jeopardize Ukraine’s funding, and they will all have to live with that decision when Vladimir Putin marches on Kiev and Europe,” criticized Democratic Senator Chris Murphy.
Ukrainian officials repeat that they need more weapons to prevent Russian attacks from plunging millions of people into darkness this winter like they did last year. The White House itself sounded the alarm on Monday, asserting that American military aid to Ukraine could be drastically cut in the coming weeks if there is no budget agreement with the Republican opposition.
“If Congress does not act, we will run out of resources by the end of the year to deliver more weapons and equipment to Ukraine and supplies of U.S. military stockpiles,” White House budget director Shalanda Young wrote Monday.