U.S. lawmakers still can’t agree on a new aid package for Ukraine, and money is running out. The Republicans are using the situation to demand this from the Democrats major immigration reforms and that’s why on Wednesday night they continued to block any progress in Congress in support of Ukraine. Time is also of the essence. Both sides are eager to reach an agreement that will allow them to push through their demands, but there is a multi-day holiday break next week and Ukraine can’t wait. That’s why some senators like Montana Democrat Jon Tester have assured this “If I have to be here on fucking Christmas Day, I’ll be here.” He stressed that the agreement is really important and that the commitment of both sides is crucial.
This week’s vote failed to reach the 60-vote threshold required for approval. There were 49 votes in favor of the presented aid package compared to 51 votes against 111 billion dollars Mainly intended to support Ukraine, but also Israel. That nuance kept Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who generally votes with his party, from rejecting the Democrats’ proposal. According to a letter from the Vermont senator, it would be “absolutely irresponsible” to support Israel with millions of dollars in military aid amid the growing civilian death toll in Gaza. Therefore, the Senate Majority Leader said, Chuck SchumerIn the end, he changed his vote and also said “no” to the package, giving his colleague the opportunity to support a different plan in the future that was more in line with his ideals. Schumer admitted it was a “sad night” but Democrats “remain committed to working very hard to find a solution to this impasse.” “Without further help from Congress, Ukraine could fall, Democracy in Europe will be in danger, and those who believe that Vladimir Putin will simply stop at Ukraine are willfully ignoring the clear and unequivocal warnings of history. The majority leader left the door open to any new proposals from the Republican Party. “I hope they come up with something serious instead of the extreme policies they have presented so far.”
According to the Kiel Institute, new aid commitments to the Ukrainian country have fallen to their lowest level since the Russian invasion began in early 2023. In Europe, aid is encountering difficulties in some hesitant countries, and in the USA it is no better. The result of these brakes is a Russian president who is probably rubbing his hands as he sees his enemy gradually left without international support to defend against the invasion. “President Putin has publicly expressed his idea that stopping U.S. military aid would mean that Russia would defeat Ukraine,” U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a television interview.
However, according to CNN, Pentagon officials doubt that the situation is really that critical. As the media explains, their sources said that “the government will be able to continue providing military support and distribution to Ukraine in the winter.” the remaining $4.8 billion the authority to send weapons from US arsenals to Kiev.
The Democrats assure that the opposition is taking advantage of the situation to impose immigration measures that cannot be accepted: “You cannot say that I am for Ukraine only when I carry out these policies that have no relation to the war.” ” said the Democrat for Hawaii, Brian Schatz. But Republicans insist that any aid to international allies must be accompanied by important changes on the issue Border security. And even those who have vehemently supported arming Ukraine, like the minority leader Mitch McConellnow it is said that “obviously some of our colleagues would prefer not to.” Russia is trampling on a sovereign nation in Europe before doing what is necessary to enforce the sovereign borders of the United States,” the senator said. “They are convinced that it is worth endangering security around the world just to keep the borders open.” Republican McConell and his supporters are calling for more than $20 billion to increase security measures at the border. Money that would be invested in increased patrol presence, more agents assigned to the procedures asylum seekers need, and greater efforts to control fentanyl, a deadly drug that enters the country from abroad and costs millions of lives in the USA.
This latest vote reflects the Republican Party’s increasingly diminished interest in supporting Ukraine, a feeling also felt among Americans who polls show are increasingly losing and less confident that they should continue to provide financial support to their Ukrainian ally.