As Things Get Tight – Republicans Make Aid to Ukraine a Campaign Issue: That’s Why Selensky Suddenly Finds Himself on Cozy Path with the U.S.

class=”sc-29f61514-0 icZBHN”>

When Volodymyr Zelensky (45) addressed the Americans in Washington on Thursday, he chose soft tones. “There is not a single soul in Ukraine who does not feel gratitude towards you, America.”

The Ukrainian president, who usually comes across as demanding, has deliberately chosen soft words to keep the Americans happy. So far, the administration of Joe Biden, 80, has spent about $115 billion to provide military and humanitarian assistance to the country attacked by Russia. Biden currently has a request for 24 billion before the US Congress.

But a certain war fatigue is spreading in the US. At the end of 2022, Zelensky was received as a hero and invited to give a speech in the House of Representatives. Now he was only allowed to appear in the National Archives. Several Republicans pointedly stayed away from the meeting.

Presidential candidates want to end aid

Republicans, who now have a say in the House of Representatives, are increasingly threatening to reduce aid to Ukraine. Above all, Donald Trump (77), who wants to run again as a presidential candidate. Last weekend he said on NBC: “I think Europe needs to do more. The war affects Europeans much more than us.”

Trump tried to support his statement with exaggerated figures: the US had already spent 200 billion dollars, the Europeans only 20 to 25 billion, he claimed. According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, this is not true. According to his calculations, European performance exceeds that of the US.

But Trump is not alone. Presidential candidates Ron DeSantis (45) and Vivek Ramaswamy (38) also no longer want to support Ukraine to the same extent. Ramaswamy said in late August, “I don’t want to get to the point where we are using up our military resources abroad instead of using them here at home to protect our own borders.”

Republican Senator Roger Marshall (63) from Kansas is uncompromising: “I will not support a single cent that goes to Ukraine.”

Scoring with inflation

According to a CNN poll in early August, 55 percent of Americans now reject additional aid to Ukraine, while 71 percent of Republicans reject it. For many Americans, the tense situation in the Pacific and the relationship with China are in the foreground and not the war in distant Europe.

Nevertheless, the war is likely to be an important part of the election campaign. “The topic can be integrated into the ‘America First’ narrative without much difficulty,” says US expert Marco Steenbergen (60) from the University of Zurich. Trump does this – and so do the members of the Freedom Caucus, i.e. the far-right Republican members. Above all, Republicans could score points if they tied the issue of inflation to America’s role in the war.

Heated discussion about the budget

According to Steenbergen, there is a risk that American aid will be scaled back or even stopped – especially in the current discussion about the budget and a possible government shutdown. Steenbergen says: “One reason why certain lawmakers, especially from the Freedom Caucus, are blocking the defense spending bill is aid to Ukraine. This is only part of the story, but it shows the difficulties Biden will face on this issue.

But there are also prominent Republicans who maintain their support for Ukraine, such as former Vice President Mike Pence (64) and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley (51). Haley: “Aid to Ukraine represents less than 3.5 percent of our defense budget.” And pointing to the fact that Russia and China are allies, she says: “A win for Russia is a win for China. Ukraine is our first line of defense.”

Source: Blick