The US Congress is delaying the approval of aid to Ukraine and demands the White House justify the necessity of supporting Kyiv.
“We have to insist upon securing our own country. And also if we get the necessary information, and the necessary answers with regard to what is the endgame in Ukraine, and how will we be responsible for the expenditure of those resources. The White House has not given us the necessary information,” said Mike Johnson, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, in an interview with Face the Nation on CBS.
Johnson states that the approval timeline for a new aid package hinges on the Biden administration’s yet-to-be-defined strategy concerning Ukraine.
When asked by a journalist whether the US Congress will manage to agree on funding for Ukraine by February, the speaker responded: “There are two things that are necessary, we must secure the U.S. border before we secure anyone else’s.”
As of now, the US Congress has not approved President Joe Biden’s request for additional funding to aid Ukraine due to resistance from some Republicans. On December 6, the bill providing assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan failed to pass procedural voting in the Senate. The lower chamber concluded its work in 2023 without approving the aid.
Fox News expert and The Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen outlined 10 reasons that helping Ukraine is a priority for the United States.
A Russian victory would embolden the US’s enemies. “If we cut off US weapons, intelligence and other support today, Putin would prevail – and his victory would embolden our enemies from the Middle East to East Asia. A Russian victory would further popularize the “decline of the West” narrative, eroding U.S. alliances in Europe and Asia. China’s and Russia’s influence would rise at our expense,” Thiessen explains.
A Ukrainian victory will help deter China. Otherwise, the risk of starting a new war over Taiwan will increase, the analyst is convinced. “And, unlike the war in Ukraine, it could very well involve US troops,” Thiessen says. Apart from that, defeating Putin would weaken the Sino-Russian partnership.
Support for Ukraine will restore the Reagan Doctrine (support of anti-communist movements in third world countries). “In Ukraine, the Reagan Doctrine is making a comeback, reminding us that we can push back totalitarian aggression without getting directly involved in fighting wars abroad,” Thiessen says.
Victory will save the US billions. “[If Ukraine loses], Putin would likely move against Moldova, the Baltic States and maybe even Poland, … perhaps setting his sights on establishing a land bridge across NATO territory to the isolated Russian Baltic region of Kaliningrad. The Black Sea would essentially become a Russian lake, allowing Putin to threaten Southern Europe. This new map would require the deployment of more U.S. troops to Europe, and massive increases in overall U.S. defense spending – because the United States would now have to defend Europe from a growing Russian threat while also preparing to defend its partners, allies and its own territory in the Pacific from Chinese aggression. In other words, arming Ukraine is a bargain compared with the alternative,” the analyst writes.
The war in Ukraine will also allow the US to test and acquire new weapons and upgrade its own defense stockpile. In addition, Washington’s allies are getting stronger, preparing to fend off the Russian threat in the event of something. And the victory over Russia will also allow us to avoid a nuclear confrontation.
“Current and former US military leaders say Ukraine can win – if given the necessary weapons to prevail,” Thiessen says.
Cover: AEI
