Help to Ukraine: US transfers $250 million – last envelope before new vote

Kyiv’s time is running out. The United States announced on Wednesday $250 million in military aid to Ukraine, the last tranche available without a new vote in the US Congress. Negotiations between Republican and Democratic parliamentarians regarding the confirmation of the 61 billion envelope, which American President Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky insist on, are still stalled.

“It is critical that Congress take action as quickly as possible to advance our national security interests while helping Ukraine defend itself,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. But Senate leaders have already noted that Congress will end the year without approving new funds, another disappointment for the Ukrainian president in a year marked by disappointed hopes for a major counteroffensive and increased Russian pressure at the front.

The White House warned that it would “run out of resources” for Ukraine by the end of the year. “We only have one envelope of aid left” before funds earmarked for Ukraine “run out,” White House spokesman John Kirby said Dec. 18. “When it is sent, we will no longer have authorization (…). And we need Congress to act quickly,” he warned.

Western dyspnea

Vladimir Zelensky personally came to Washington in mid-December – his third trip to the American capital in a year – to try to increase pressure. But nearly two years into the ongoing war—and more than $110 billion has already been appropriated by Congress—the question of the continuity of that support “for as long as Ukraine needs” is becoming increasingly pressing. and more persistence.

Republicans, in particular, began to view the bill as too high. They conditioned their support for this new package on a sharp tightening of American immigration policy. However, negotiations on this explosive issue were not completed in time.

Realizing that the sense of urgency in Washington has waned since the start of the war in 2022, President Biden asked Congress to combine his request for aid to Ukraine with another request for about $14 billion for Israel, an ally of the United States in the war against Hamas. . So far in vain. Since the start of the conflict, the Kremlin has been betting on cutting Western aid, and any hesitation on the part of Kyiv’s allies strengthens Russia’s belief that its bet will be winning.

Difficulties in the House of Representatives

However, the failure of Congress to pass this package does not mean the end of US support for Kyiv. American parliamentarians will return to school on January 8, and the Republican and Democratic leaders in the Senate only announced their intention to approve this envelope, which includes military, humanitarian and macroeconomic components.

It’s in the House of Representatives, which must also approve the funds, where things get complicated. Its new president, Republican Mike Johnson, is not opposed to American aid in principle, but argues that it is not sufficiently regulated.