2023-12-06 11:13:21
Very tense negotiations in the US Congress over aid to Ukraine
Democrats and Republicans sharply opposed each other on Tuesday during a meeting of the American Congress devoted to aid to Ukraine, with the new capital envelope for Kiev’s offensive being at the heart of acrimonious negotiations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was to participate in this closed-door briefing by videoconference, canceled his intervention at the last minute, without giving a reason.
The promise of American President Joe Biden to continue to financially support Ukraine is seriously in jeopardy, a disaster scenario for kyiv, whose counter-offensive in the summer did not bring the hoped-for territorial gains.
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 has faded in Washington since the start of the war, the American president asked on October 20 to combine his request for aid for Ukraine – more than 61 billion dollars (57 billion approximately euros) – to one of approximately 14 billion for Israel, historic ally of the United States in the war against Hamas. But conservative elected officials condition the aid on a toughening of migration policy in the face of migrant arrivals at the border with Mexico. What the Democrats, for the moment, refuse.
Negotiations over the package are so tense that several members of Congress reported shouting and screaming during the meeting Tuesday afternoon. The Republicans then left the room en bloc. “They chose to jeopardize Ukraine’s funding and they will all have to live with this choice when Vladimir Putin marches on kyiv and Europe”castigated Democratic Senator Chris Murphy.
Ukrainian officials repeat that they need more weapons to prevent Russian strikes from plunging millions of people into darkness this winter, as they did last year. The White House itself sounded the alarm on Monday, assuring that American military aid to Ukraine could be cut sharply in the coming weeks, in the absence of a budget agreement with the Republican opposition.
“If Congress does not act, by the end of the year we will run out of resources to deliver more weapons and equipment to Ukraine and to supply material from U.S. military stockpiles”wrote White House budget director Shalanda Young on Monday.
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