Zelensky vs. the Republicans
Author: Greg Valliere
September 27, 2024
VLADIMIR PUTIN MUST BE WATCHING CAREFULLY as a bitter right erupts over further aid to Ukraine — as most Republicans, led by Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, vow to curb more spending for Kyiv — and as Kamala Harris vows to send more aid.
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT Volodymyr Zelensky this week got the remainder of the $60 billion he won from Washington earlier this year, but even Joe Biden has rejected Zelensky’s request to give the green light to Ukrainian incursions deep into western Russia.
WITH A FEW EXCEPTIONS — such as Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell — most Republicans have run out of patience with Zelensky, and some see him as a campaign issue. Trump, who will meet with the Ukrainian president this morning, says he could end the war quickly.
CONSERVATIVES IN THE RESTIVE HOUSE are balking at any more financial commitments, and many lawmakers also are running out of patience with Israel. This reflects a growing rise of isolationism on Capitol Hill.
THIS HAS NOT DETERRED ZELENSKY, who appears to have an important ally in Washington — Harris, who met with the Ukrainian yesterday. And Biden announced the delivery of more military aid and new air defense capabilities, as the White House sought to show strong support for Ukraine.
THE UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT at times struggled to navigate the turbulence of the U.S. political landscape at a moment when some Republicans are increasingly hostile to his country’s war effort and more sympathetic to Putin.
ZELENSKY’S VISIT to a Pennsylvania arms factory incensed some Republicans, as did Zelensky’s criticism of JD Vance, who is a strong opponent of more aid to Ukraine.
AHEAD OF HIS MEETING with Zelensky on Thursday, Biden pledged to help Ukraine defeat Russia and thanked the Ukrainian leader for sharing his “victory plan.” We stand with Ukraine “now and in the future,” Biden said. “Let me be clear. Russia will not prevail in this war.”
THE WASHINGTON POST REPORTS this morning that Biden offered significant new air defense capabilities, including an additional Patriot antiaircraft battery to help Ukraine defend its cities and energy infrastructure. The president also promised to train 18 more Ukrainian F-16 pilots next year and announced additional drones and air-to-ground munitions. He offered a new air-fired long-range glide bomb, called the Joint Standoff Weapon, that should help Ukraine more successfully strike Russian targets.
IN ALL, THE NEW ASSISTANCE will use up the remaining $7.8 billion allocated to Ukraine earlier this year under the $60 billion supplemental bill that Congress passed in April. Those funds must be spent by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.
THE NEW SHIPMENT OF AID comes in lieu of green-lighting Zelensky’s central request during his visit: the ability to use the U.S. long-range missile systems known as ATACMS to strike deep into Russia.
UKRAINIANS SAY THOSE MISSILES, with a range of 180 miles, would help destroy Russian supply lines and ease bombardments on their country by pushing the Kremlin’s forces away from the border. The decision has divided Biden’s administration (www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/09/24/ukraine-weapons-limits-biden-permission-atacms/?itid=lk_inline_manual_26) and lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
FOLLOWING A MEETING AT THE CAPITOL between Zelensky and a group of senators, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Biden should grant Zelensky’s request to authorize long-range strikes, saying it would give Ukraine leverage in the effort to press Putin to negotiate a settlement to end the war.
“IF YOU CONTINUE the policy of holding Ukraine back because you’re worried about escalation, you will doom them to lose,” Graham said.
AT A CAMPAIGN RALLY in North Carolina on Wednesday, Trump suggested Zelensky is aligned with Democrats, saying the Ukrainian president “refuses to make a deal” to end the war with Russia. “Every time he comes into the country he walks away with $60 billion. He’s probably the greatest salesman on Earth,” Trump said. “He wants them to win this election so badly.”
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