A Phone Call with the Ukrainian Prime Minister: What The US Will Do to Provide Ukraine With, and How It Will Provide Us with What It Needs to Protect It
EUREKA, Mo. — After falling out with his partner at a limousine company in the St. Louis suburbs, Martin Zlatev recently sought a lucrative new business opportunity: selling $30 million worth of rockets, grenade launchers and ammunition to the Ukrainian military.
“Time is of the essence,” the pair recently wrote to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense. They discussed a plan to sell arms to Ukraine.
A second senior administration official provided a summary of the US aid toUkraine, including more than 1,400 Stinger anti-air systems. We enabled our Allies to transfer air defense systems of their own to Ukraine – including Slovakia’s transfer of a critical S-300 system in April. And in August, President Biden announced a new assistance package for Ukraine that included orders for 8 new NASAMS—National Advanced Surface to Air Missile Systems. We will continue to provide Ukraine with what it needs to defend itself.”
President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday after a deluge of Russian missiles targeted cities across Ukraine, condemning the strikes and pledging continued US security assistance “including advanced air defense systems.”
On their phone call, Biden and Scholz “expressed their common determination to continue to provide the necessary financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine for as long as needed,” a joint statement read.
Asked whether the attacks of the past 24 hours would change the calculus on what the US would consider offering Ukraine, a senior administration official said they had no announcements to make on that front, but that the US will continue to help provide Ukraine with short- and long-range air defense systems, as it has in the past.
The US hadn’t delivered NASAMS to Ukraine as of late September. At the time, Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said two systems were expected to be delivered in the next two months, with the remaining six to arrive at an undetermined date.
Russia launched a total of 84 cruise missiles against targets across Ukraine on Monday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a Facebook post.
The attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure left more than four million people without electricity, and the Ukrainian President accused Russia of energy terrorism.
The current configuration of the Ukrainian state will pose a clear and constant threat to Russia, according to a post on Telegram by former President of Russia. Therefore, in addition to protecting our people and protecting the borders of the country, the goal of our future actions, in my opinion, should be the complete dismantling of the political regime of Ukraine.”
Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, also recently said he thinks Moscow should aim for the “complete dismantling” of Zelensky’s “regime.”
The U.S. Senate GOP Leaders Aren’t Going to Leave Ukraine in 2022, Yet they Are Defying Putin’s Nuclear Threats
Administration officials are doubtful additional Ukraine aid will be passed this fiscal year. The current spending package is expected to end on September 30 and they think the $45 billion package will be the last one.
Kirby told CNN that it was obvious that he was feeling the pressure both at home and overseas.
Last week, Biden delivered a stark warning about the dangers of Putin’s nuclear threats, invoking the prospect of “Armageddon.” Multiple US officials said the comment was not based on any new intelligence about Putin or changes in Russia’s nuclear posture.
KYIV, Ukraine — Sitting on a park bench by a tram stop in Kontraktova Square, Marta Makarova, a 21-year-old budding social media influencer, takes a break from talking with two friends about Instagram to talk instead about the war. Makarova says how much of their safety depends on U.S. support.
He says the top issues trending on his social media channels are the upcoming U.S. elections and billionaire Elon Musk’s controversial comments about negotiating an end to the war.
After some Republicans warned that the party could limit funding forUkraine if it gained control of the House of Representative, the Ukrainian government is watching the results of the America’s election this week.
Kevin McCarthy, the leader of the House Republicans, said this week that his party members will not write a blank check to Ukraine if they win the lower chamber next year.
“I think people are gonna be sitting in a recession and they’re not going to write a blank check to Ukraine,” he told Punchbowl News in an interview published Tuesday.
California GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who served as House minority leader in the last session and is now pursuing the House speakership, said in October that Republicans might pull back funding for Ukraine in 2023 if they took the majority in the 2022 midterm elections. Still, after making those comments the GOP leader worked behind the scenes to reassure national security leaders in his conference that he wasn’t planning to abandon Ukraine aid and was just calling for greater oversight of any federal dollars.
A line of Ukrainian politicians, activists and soldiers have been traveling to Washington to lobby for more aid in the run up to the elections.
The member of parliament is from the Servant of the People party. She’s traveled to Washington twice since the beginning of the war to meet with both Democratic and Republican leaders.
But Kniazhytskyi worries about the influence of a vocal group of Republicans, many aligned with former President Donald Trump, as well as conservative TV personalities who have been speaking out against the billions of dollars going to Ukraine.
In May, a majority of Americans stated that they were very concerned about the outcome of the Ukrainian elections. Only 32% stated that in September.
So far, there have not been signs that U.S. aid to Ukraine has ended up in the wrong hands. But the war is far from over. Ukraine is asking for more support to continue fighting Russia. The work of rebuilding after the conflict has yet to begin.
Burkovskiy laments how Ukraine got sucked into Trump’s first impeachment, after Zelenskyy came close to submitting to Trump’s demand to announce an investigation into the family of then-candidate Joe Biden.
“If there is a member of the House that speaks about why they spend so much money and don’t win, people in Ukranian hear this, it’s a new thing.”
The balance of power in Washington means that a few Republicans can’t change the direction of U.S. support for the war, he believes. And he emphasizes that Ukraine has much bigger problems than U.S. politics.
U.S.-Embedded Secretary of State, State of Ukraine, and the Russian-Occupied City of Kherson in the Cold War
There is anticipation that a battle may be fought for Kherson, a Russian-occupied city. Kremlin-installed officials have been evacuating civilians in preparation for a potential Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Turkish President Erdogan will have a meeting with the Prime Minister of Sweden. Sweden might join NATO, but certain conditions must be met.
The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday is scheduled to discuss an International Atomic Energy Agency report, in which Ukraine is expected to be on the agenda.
Russia rejoined the deal to export grain and other agricultural goods from Ukraine on November 2. The deal was suspended by Moscow a few days after it was announced that Ukraine had attacked its ships in the Black Sea.
As it nears the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of its neighbor, the United States will provide Ukraine with Bradley fighting vehicles as part of a security assistance package.
Iran acknowledged for the first time providing some drones to Russia months before the war in Ukraine but denied continuing to supply them, on Nov. 5. Zelenskyy countered that Iran was “lying” because Ukrainian forces “shoot down at least 10 Iranian drones every day.”
You can read past recaps here. For context and more in-depth stories, you can find more of NPR’s coverage here. Also, listen and subscribe to NPR’s State of Ukraine podcast for updates throughout the day.
In the last few weeks, the Chairman of the Joint chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, led a push to seek a diplomatic solution to the fighting that is raging in Ukraine.
The result is a growing debate inside the administration over whether Ukraine’s recent gains on the battlefield should spark a renewed effort to seek some sort of negotiated end to the fighting, according to officials.
The push for peace has spilled into the public recently, just as Ukraine takes back the city of Kherson. In comments at the Economic Club of New York on Wednesday, Milley praised the Ukrainian army for fighting Russia to a stalemate, but said that an outright military victory is out of reach.
administration officials were unsurprised by the comments but also concerned about the appearance of a divided administration in the eyes of the Kremlin.
As a result of the internal debate, US officials including Sullivan have been urging Ukrainian President Zelensky to signal that it is still open to diplomatic discussions with Russia even after he banned negotiations with Putin.
In internal deliberations, officials said Milley has sought to make it clear that he is not urging a Ukrainian capitulation, but rather that he believes now is an optimal time to drive toward an end to the war before it drags into spring or beyond, leading to more death and destruction without changing the front lines.
But that view is not widely held across the administration. One official explained that the State Department is on the opposite side of the pole from Milley. That dynamic has led to a unique situation where military brass are more fervently pushing for diplomacy than US diplomats.
Milley’s position comes as the US military has dug deep into US weapons stockpiles to support the Ukrainians and is currently scouring the globe for materials to support Ukraine heading into winter – such as heaters and generators – which has raised concerns about how long this war can be sustained, officials said.
A US official said the US plans to buy 100,000 rounds of South Korean arms for the Ukrainians as part of an effort to find better weaponry for the fighting in that country. 100,000 howitzer rounds will be purchased by the US as part of the deal, which will be transferred to Ukraine through the US.
The Battle of the New Cold War: What will the United States do after the invasion of Ukraine tell us about the Russian response to the Soviet Union?
Ned Price wouldn’t say if the State Department agrees with Milley’s position. Price was able to distract himself from the fact that the US side with Zelensky has said that a diplomatic solution is needed.
“The battle is not only for life, freedom, and security of Ukrainians or any other nation which Russia attempts to conquer,” he said. “The struggle will define in what world our children and grandchildren will live in.”
When President Biden marks the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this week with a speech in Warsaw, he is expected to underscore that the United States is going to back Ukraine as long as it takes.
There are two deliverables, the first being the Patriot missile systems. Complex, accurate, and expensive, they have been described as the US’s “gold standard” of air defense. NATO guards them and requires the personnel who operate them, almost 100 in a battalion, to be properly trained.
More precision weapons are vital: they ensure Ukraine hits its targets, and not any civilians remaining nearby. It means thatUkraine does not go through the vast amount of shells Russia burns through when bombarding areas it wants to capture.
The new phase is more than just on the battlefield. Russia’s invasion is having a bitter impact on leaders around the world. Politicians in Europe and the US have had trouble with the higher energy and food prices as a result of the sanctions on Moscow.
But Moscow is struggling to equip and rally its conventional forces, and, with the exception of its nuclear forces, appears to be running out of new cards to play. It’s less likely that nuclear force will be used because both China and India joined the West in making statements against it.
Western analysts have noted that the Russians have complained about these deliveries a lot, but that they’ve been relatively quiet in response to the crossing of what might have been considered red lines.
Zelensky’s Cold War with the Ukraine: The Case for a Cold War, the New Speaker, and the U.S. Defense Budget
This is difficult. The Biden administration cannot expect a “blank cheque” from the new House of Representatives, warned Kevin McCarthy, the likely new Speaker.
The remnants of the Trumpist “America First” elements of that party have echoed doubts about how much aid the US should really be sending to the edges of eastern Europe.
The bill for the slow victory of Russia in this long and dark conflict is light, in part because of Washington’s large defense budget.
He is an inspiring rhetorician, as a former reality TV star turned unexpected president, and the embodiment of how Putin has turned ordinary Ukrainians into wartime heroes.
“I also think no one is asking for a blank check,” Clinton added. “I believe that the Ukrainians have proven that they are a really good investment for the United States. They are not asking us to be there to fight their war. They are fighting it on their own. They want us and our allies to use the means to actually win.
The speech spoke of the struggle of the Ukrainians, as well as how we want to be warm in our houses for Christmas and to know that there are families on the front lines.
“I hope that they will send more than one,” she added. She noted there’s “been some reluctance in the past” by the US and NATO to provide advanced equipment, but added “We’ve seen with our own eyes how effective Ukrainian military is.”
Clinton, who previously met Russian President Vladimir Putin as US secretary of state, said the leader was “probably impossible to actually predict,” as the war turns in Ukraine’s favor and his popularity fades at home.
Clinton said that she thinks that Putin will be using the bodies of Russian conscripts in the fight against the Ukrainians.
Three-hundred days after his country was invaded by Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky jetted to Washington, DC, for talks on what the next 300 days might bring.
Shrouded in secrecy until the last minute, the historic visit was heavy with symbolism, from Zelensky’s drab green sweatshirt to President Joe Biden’s blue-and-yellow striped tie to the Ukrainian battle flag unfurled on the House floor.
But the trip was about far more than symbols. If Zelensky was invited to Washington, Biden wouldn’t because he would not believe that something could be accomplished in a face-to-face meeting.
Emerging from their talks, both men made clear they see the war entering a new phase. Fears of a stalemate are growing as Russia deploys more troops to the frontline and wages an air campaign against civilians.
Zelensky said the road to ending the war would not include making concessions to Russia.
He doesn’t see a road to peace that involvesUkraine giving up territory or sovereignty.
US officials said Zelensky had presented a 10-point peace formula to Biden, though Zelensky later told Congress it was the same plan he offered to world leaders at the Group of 20 summit.
For his part, Biden said it was up to Zelensky to “decide how he wants to the war to end,” a long-held view that leaves plenty of questions unanswered.
Zelensky peppered his address to lawmakers with references to American history, from the critical Battle of Saratoga during the American Revolutionary War to the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.
He delivered his address in English, a purposeful choice he telegraphed ahead of the speech. Even his attire – the now-familiar Army green shirt, cargo pants and boots – seemed designed to remind his audience they were in the presence of a wartime leader.
Zelensky and the American Civil Libertarian War: The Rise and Fall of the United Front in 1917-1918, as seen by President Barack Obama
Over the course of the conflict, Zelensky has demonstrated an acute ability to appeal to his audience, be they national legislatures or the audience of the Grammys.
He tried to use the Americans’ emotional response to his country’s suffering as Russia tries to interrupt Ukraine’s power supply.
“In two days we will celebrate Christmas. Maybe a bit of light. Not because it’s more romantic, no, but because there will not be – there will be no electricity,” he said.
He understood that many Americans have questioned why billions of US dollars were needed for a conflict thousands of miles away. He sought to make the cause about more than his own homeland.
Zelensky made a request for more patriots which amounted to a window into one of the worlds most complicated relationships.
That hasn’t always sat well with Biden or his team. But as he has with other foreign leaders, Biden sought to translate physical proximity into a better understanding of his counterpart.
It’s all about seeing someone in the eye. I mean it in an affectionate way. He said that it’s impossible to replace sitting down face to face with a friend or foe and looking them in the eye.
The War Between Ukraine and the United States: Implications of the Bounds on U.S.-France for the Future of the Cold War
Biden affirmed the new commitment in a telephone call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday. Germany will also send Ukraine fighting vehicles, along with a battery to protect against Russian air attacks.
The Bradley fighting vehicle can hold around 10 troops and is used to transport personnel into battle. The White House said that the US and Germany were going to give training to the Ukrainian forces.
Zelensky wanted those systems so that his military would be able to Target Russian missiles flying at a higher altitude than before.
The $45 billion in assistance that Congress approved as part of last year’s spending bill is more than enough to ease the concern of the Biden administration officials about the possibility of decreasing aid.
The administration would work with the congress to provide an additional $907 million of foreign military financing.
But there’s now concern that McCarthy’s troubled bid for the speakership – a history-defying effort that has led to more than a dozen unsuccessful votes this week – could put further limitations on Ukraine aid.
Several Republicans who switched their votes on Friday to support McCarthy said that they were encouraged by the framework of the agreement but provided no details about the deal and said that talks are ongoing.
That number was even higher than President Joe Biden requested – a reflection of Democrats’ concern that additional funding wouldn’t be as forthcoming in a GOP-led House. The White House had a belief that the number would sustain the support of the United States for several months.
Rules changes to the budgetary process could significantly hamper Congress’ ability to pass new aid come September and certain conservative Republicans have vowed to oppose any new Ukraine funding.
“This is a harbinger for a protracted legislative paralysis,” the diplomat said, adding that “the Freedom Caucus – which is not particularly pro-Ukrainian – has just demonstrated its clout.”
Counting the Duck in the Milk: How Help is Needed to Stop Them? Some Americans are Probing the Clinton White House Approach to the Ukraine Crisis
Others noted they were watching closely to see the kinds of maneuvers McCarthy would make to secure the role, which could potentially include cuts to aid.
Another diplomat told CNN they’re personally concerned about “the policy concessions McCarthy has to make, and if they are going to affect US role in the world.”
A third diplomat expressed concerns concessions like crucial committee assignments, such as the House Rules Committee, could be given to lawmakers who have advocated against more aid to Ukraine, which could create immense hurdles for passing additional assistance legislation.
White House officials, before the current predicament on Capitol Hill, were skeptical that Ukraine aid would dry up completely. McConnell and McCarthy have pledged to continue support for Ukraine, according to them.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday welcomed the latest drawdown, saying it was an “awesome Christmas present for Ukraine!” And lawmakers in Ukraine told CNN they are not concerned that the future of assistance is at risk, noting the strong past bipartisan and public support for aiding their country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy went on a Europe tour where he met leaders in London, Paris and Brussels and made a call for allies to send fighter jets to Ukraine.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, the Russian forces attacked Ukrainian defensive lines in the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk. The Atlantic Council said that Russian forces are trying to encircle the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.
Ukranian response to MH17 attack and the war in Ukraine: the opinion of the Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova
The war in Ukraine did not get a lot of attention in this year’s speech by President Biden, but Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova still attended.
There’s “strong evidence” that Russia gave the go-ahead to supply anti-aircraft weaponry to the rebels inUkraine, according to the international team investigating the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.
A spokesman for the armed forces, Col. Serhiy Cherevaty, said on Ukrainian television that soldiers need to keep their focus on building defensive lines. The reason for barring civilians from entering the city was to keep military operations secret, he said.
Bakhmut doesn’t have much strategic value for either Moscow or Kyiv. Its significance comes more from the amount of blood spilled to claim it.
“Even if Bakhmut were to fall, it would not have a strategic impact on the overall war,” said the National Security Council spokesman, John Kirby. “I would go so far as to say it won’t even have necessarily a strategic impact on the fighting in that part of the country.”
Western officials in the EU refused to discuss whether a campaign by Ukranian to get more powerful weapons would win them the war.
Mr. Austin did not have any announcement to make on Tuesday when he was asked if fighter jets had been discussed.
Arrival Times for a Presidential Visit to Kyiv: Biden and the Ukranian Prime Minister Revisiting a One-Year War
Only three officials as well one reporter and one photographer traveled with Biden. Some of the reporters already inside Ukraine joined Biden after he arrived.
Biden’s trip to Kyiv was shrouded in secrecy, a reflection of the steep security concerns. Air Force One departed Joint Base Andrews under cover of darkness at 4:15 a.m. ET on Sunday, and reporters aboard the plane were not allowed to carry their devices with them.
It is different from previous presidential trips to Afghanistan or Iraq because of the active war zone inUkraine that the US has no control over. White House officials had repeatedly ruled out a visit earlier in the year.
Biden has a small team of advisers, including national security adviser Jake Sullivan, deputy chief of staff Jen O’Malley Dillon and personal aide Annie Tomasini.
Yet security precautions had prevented Biden from making a similar trip. When he visited Poland in April last year, the White House did not even explore the potential for a trip across the border, even though Biden said he had voiced interest.
The Secretary of State, along with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, visited the Ukrainian capital to commit new assistance. Senior administration officials, including CIA Director Bill Burns and top White House officials, visited Kyiv last month.
On Mother’s Day, last year, the wife of Vice President Biden paid a surprise visit to a small city in the far southwestern region of Ukranian. She met with Zelenska at a former school that was converted into temporary housing for displaced Ukrainians, including 48 children.
Now, with the war nearing its one-year mark on February 24, Biden is hoping to demonstrate to the world his commitment to Ukraine, even as it remains unclear how much longer US and western resolve can last.
But it remains unclear what parameters Zelensky might be willing to accept in any peace negotiations, and the US has steadfastly refused to define what a settlement may look like beyond stating it will be up to Zelensky to decide.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/20/politics/biden-ukraine-zelensky-visit-one-year-war-anniversary-intl-hnk/index.html
The U.S. Military Spends of the Cold War: China’s First High-Tensor Effort in the War in Afghanistan
American officials told CNN on Saturday the US has recently begun seeing “disturbing” trends and there are signs that Beijing wants to “creep up to the line” of providing lethal military aid to Moscow without getting caught.
US officials have shared intelligence with their allies and partners about a change in China’s posture since last week at the Munich Security Conference, but would not give much more information about the intel they have seen.
Wang will be making his first visit to Russia as a Chinese official in that role since Russia was involved in the war in Ukraine.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Wang’s visit will provide an opportunity for China and Russia to continue to develop their strategic partnership and discuss international and regional issues of shared interest.
But with no end to the war in sight, polls show a growing number of Americans are concerned about how much money has gone to the war — and some Republican budget hawks have said they would like to curtail the spending.
“My great fear is that there’s going to be some scandal,” said Mark Cancian, an expert in military procurement who has worked both at the Office of Management and Budget and the Pentagon. “Either weapons show up in the Middle East, someplace where they’re not supposed to be, or some oligarch is discovered to have siphoned funds off and is sailing around the Mediterranean in his yacht, paid for by American taxpayers.”
“When you spend that much money that fast, there’s bound to be problems, there’s bound to be leakage,” said John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.
Sopko, who has reported on failure after failure with aid for Afghanistan, warns that a country can only absorb so much aid before things begin to spill over into the illicit economy.
“I’m all there, and I can’t do that,” says Michelle Sopko: “The problem is in our own national security”
“You take a sponge, you put it on your kitchen counter and you fill it with water. Drip, drip, drip. Sopko described it as holding the water. “Then all of a sudden it reaches a certain point, and then all the water starts spreading out from that sponge.”
At the start of the conflict, some 60% of Americans backed sending weapons to Ukraine, according to polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That has slipped by more than half.
The most recent congressional funding package built in more funding for oversight of the aid, and Republican leaders have asked for more regular updates on checks and balances on the spending.
One report, released last month, found that there’s a “significant risk of misuse and diversion given the volume and speed of assistance” during the war. It also cites a classified Pentagon report that raised concerns that the Defense Department isn’t able to fully monitor the weapons, in part because U.S. troops are not allowed in the country.
But so far, there has been no credible evidence of wide-scale problems, said Jessica Lewis, assistant secretary for the State Department’s bureau of political-military affairs.
“We should all be concerned about the possibility of a weapon ending up in the wrong hands outside of Ukraine,” Lewis said. “That is why we have to put all of these things in place.”
The defense staff has been increased at the Kyiv embassy and the U.S. inspectors have been to Ukraine. The Ukrainian government has signed agreements detailing how they safeguard weapons and don’t transfer them.
She said that it was our responsibility to our own national security. “It’s our responsibility to our war fighters, and it’s our responsibility to the American public to make sure when we transfer a weapon, we are doing so responsibly.”
Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/02/20/1141689717/ukraine-russia-biden-funding
Overseas in Ukraine’s bid to join NATO: John Sopko, the U.S., and economic aid
Many administration offices are doing oversight reviews in several departments and agencies. John Sopko said he is concerned that there’s a lack of coordination.
He said there should be a dedicated team for the work and he worries that the U.S. government is waiting too long to set that up. His office in Afghanistan would have been more effective had it been established earlier in the conflict.
Sopko is worried about economic aid. The U.S. is giving about $50 billion to the Ukrainian government to help pay the salaries of teachers and officials.
“That was one of the biggest concerns we had in Afghanistan,” he said. The salaries we were paying weren’t going to the right people and people at all. We had ghost civil servants and ghost people in the military.
Last year, Ukraine was ranked 116 out of 180 countries for corruption by Transparency International. The issue has scuttled the country’s bid to join the European Union and kept it out of NATO.
But, just months before the war started, Biden himself was complaining about corruption, explaining that was why Ukraine wasn’t getting closer to joining the NATO alliance.
“The fact is, they still have to clean up corruption,” Biden said. They have to meet other criteria to get into the action plan. School is out on that question.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/02/20/1141689717/ukraine-russia-biden-funding
The U.S. Embassy to Ukraine in the 2021 Crimes-Induced Decree and Investigation of Ukraine’s Crime: A View from the White House
President Volodymr Zelenskyy — who was elected to office on an anti-corruption platform — had submitted a bill in early 2021 to close the Kyiv Administrative District Court, long criticized for corruption.
“That’s a good example of how corrupt people are in the country,” said Steven Pifer, the Clinton-era U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. “It took some time… but it finally was shut down. That was a positive thing for Ukraine’s justice system.
Zelenskyy fired another group of officials as a result of the corruption scandal. Zelensky said in a video address during the scandal that people will not be able to comprehend how things were before bureaucrats got used to chasing power.
In Washington, many of the calls for more oversight are coming from Republicans and Democrats who support the war effort. They do not want to give political leverage to those who are more interested in cutting assistance altogether.
“We as Democrats — as the White House — I think we should continue to work with these national security Republicans … and their fellow travelers in good faith to not let domestic politics prevent us from staying united behind Ukraine,” said Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass.
It is Biden’s political interests to work with the Republicans. He’s widely expected to make a run for a second term in the 2024 election, and he doesn’t want a Ukraine spending scandal to become an election issue.
Russia illegally annexed the eastern part ofUkraine’s Donbas region last September and Biden’s visit coincides with a new push to take control.
“I thought it was critical that there not be any doubt, none whatsoever, about U.S. support for Ukraine in the war,” Biden said, emphasizing bipartisan support in Congress for Ukraine.