On Thursday, Poland’s prime minister said it was done sending weapons to Ukraine amid this grain dispute. Ukraine has filed a complaint at the World Trade Organization against that move, including against Poland, perhaps Kyiv’s staunchest supporter in the Western alliance to date. Right now, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia have defied EU rules and banned Ukrainian grain exports, saying they are flooding the market and undermining their farmers. Western solidarity has not been perfect throughout Russia’s invasion, but it’s largely held up amid domestic political fights, an energy crisis, and inflation. There are also some worrisome signs among Ukraine’s other partners. But, Zelenskyy added: If “the idea is how to take the part of our territory and to give Putin, that is not the peace formula.” As Zelenskyy said in an interview this week, if Trump has a peace plan, he should share it. This strain in the GOP, then, is probably not going away, and may morph beyond battles over Ukraine funding into fundamentally questioning the US’s position on Ukraine. The GOP primary debates have showcased the views of Ukraine skeptics, including the frontrunner, Donald Trump, who claims he has a plan to end the war. This funding request is also not likely the last US political hurdle for Ukraine. As Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in Thursday floor remarks: “To quote President Zelenskyy in the room, and this is a quote, he said: ‘If we don’t get the aid, we will lose the war.’ That’s a quote from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Some House Republicans remain optimistic Michael McCaul (R-TX), the House chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said Thursday that “we will get it done.”īut even if this Ukraine aid package does get done, it will likely come after more short-term drama, and maybe even a government shutdown, which is probably not going to make any partners who rely on the US confident about its reliability.Īnd Zelenskyy apparently made no secret to lawmakers as to how much Kyiv relies on that support. This has also become a leverage point in the GOP’s internal feud that could shut down the US government. They are questioning Ukraine’s counteroffensive progress against Russia, and where all this money is going. That assistance package did pass last year, but the skepticism of Ukraine aid has intensified among this set of Republicans. Then, as now, the package has bipartisan support, save for a vocal group of Republicans who have criticized the “blank check” to Kyiv. This time, the Biden administration is pushing Congress to pass another $24 billion in aid to Ukraine. When Zelenskyy visited Washington last December, Congress was considering another huge billion-dollar package of aid to Ukraine. The political dynamics abroad may change the course of war in Ukraine It’s not clear how big or significant they will be, but Zelenskyy doesn’t want to reach the point where Ukraine has to find out. ![]() ![]() On the whole, the United States and Europe have continued to provide financially and militarily to Ukraine. That may be the biggest difference from last year: the question-mark over future Western support for Ukraine, and what that might mean for Ukraine’s ability to sustain its defense against Russia. That hasn’t changed, but the future trajectory of the conflict is a lot less clear - which is why Zelenskyy, after trying to rally the world to Ukraine’s cause at the United Nations in New York, is meeting face-to-face with his backers in Washington. ![]() Russia’s invasion continues, as does the suffering and devastation that it has wrought. Those attacks damaged energy infrastructure, an echo of Moscow’s campaign last year to try to undermine Ukraine’s economy and its population’s resolve. At the same time, Russia has continued bombarding Ukraine, overnight unleashing missiles on major cities like Kyiv and Kharkiv, and even Lviv, in the west, far from the front lines. And now time is running short, as fall turns to winter, when fighting will become much more difficult. The objective Ukraine is targeting - to essentially divide up Russian-controlled territory - was always going to be extremely challenging. Zelenskyy is seeking to shore up support as Ukraine is struggling to achieve a breakthrough in its counteroffensive. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting the White House and Congress on Thursday - but under decidedly different circumstances than when he arrived less than a year ago.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |