Avdiivka

Senate approves nearly $61B of Ukraine foreign aid − here’s why it helps the US to keep funding Ukraine

Retrieved on: 
Jeudi, avril 25, 2024
House, Indo-Pacific, Republican, Congress, National security council, United Nations Security Council, Weapon, Partnership, Navy, Pressure, Delays, Food, Avdiivka, Foreign, Ship, Public opinion, Aircraft, Senate, Representative, Legislation, Democrat, Arms industry

About $61 billion of this aid package will be spent on Ukraine, while $26 billion will go to Israel.

Key Points: 
  • About $61 billion of this aid package will be spent on Ukraine, while $26 billion will go to Israel.
  • The new legislation means that U.S. military supplies could be moved to Ukraine in a matter of days.
  • Pressure increased on lawmakers to pass the aid package after Iran’s drone missile attack on Israel on April 14, 2024.
  • The U.S. has been the largest single donor backing Ukraine since Russian troops invaded the country in February 2022.
  • As a scholar of Eastern Europe, I think there are a few important reasons why the U.S. has a lot at stake in supporting Ukraine.

Republicans divided over Ukraine aid

  • Since February 2024, Johnson had delayed initiating a vote on the Ukraine foreign aid bill in the House of Representatives for a few reasons.
  • One major factor was fighting between Republicans, who hold a slim majority in the House.
  • While some centrist Republican politicians supported Ukraine funding and pushed for a vote on the foreign aid package, others – hard-right Republicans – wanted a bill that prioritized what they said are American interests, meaning more of a focus on domestic U.S. problems.

Delays on Ukraine benefit Putin

  • As the House was stalling on a vote, Ukraine was rationing ammunition and supplies.
  • Delays with foreign aid to Ukraine give Putin time to move forward with plans to purchase ballistic missiles from Iran.
  • Without foreign aid from the U.S., Ukraine faces a strategic disadvantage that could lead to Russia winning the war.

The US needs Europe to compete with China

  • One factor is U.S. global power competition with China.
  • Russian and Chinese leaders declared a military and political partnership days before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
  • They announced on April 9, 2024, that they want to find ways to strengthen their joint security work across Asia and Europe.
  • U.S. political and military leaders have noted that supporting Ukraine and pushing back against Russia is one clear way to deter China from strengthening its global political power and military reach.
  • The U.S. needs its long-standing allies in Europe to help push back against China – and deterrence is only as effective as the size of the force doing the deterring.

Foreign aid benefits US arms industry

  • Most of America’s military aid to Ukraine consists of arms and ammunition from existing U.S. stockpiles.
  • More than one-third of the $61 billion spending includes $23 billion dedicated to replenishing weapons and ammunition systems for the U.S. military.
  • In December 2023, Biden signed a U.S. defense policy bill that authorizes a record-high $886 billion in spending from July 2023 through June 2024.
  • But it also allows for the purchasing of new ships, aircraft and other types of ammunition.

Americans continue to support Ukraine aid


A majority of Americans still favor U.S. support of Ukraine, though about half of Republicans said in December 2023 that the U.S. is giving too much money to the country. Even though politicians do not always follow public opinion, there are clear reasons why it is in the U.S.’s best interests to keep funding Ukraine. This story is an update of an earlier article published on April 10, 2023.
Tatsiana Kulakevich does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

House of Representatives holds off on Ukraine aid package − here’s why the US has a lot at stake in supporting Ukraine

Retrieved on: 
Mercredi, avril 10, 2024
House, Indo-Pacific, Republican, Congress, Pressure, National security council, United Nations Security Council, Partnership, Navy, Delays, Food, Avdiivka, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Foreign, Ship, Public opinion, Aircraft, Government, Senate, Representative, Arms industry

The U.S. has been the largest single donor backing Ukraine since Russian troops invaded the country in February 2022.

Key Points: 
  • The U.S. has been the largest single donor backing Ukraine since Russian troops invaded the country in February 2022.
  • Biden has asked Congress to approve another $95 billion in aid for Ukraine, Israel and other allies.
  • While the Senate passed this foreign aid bill in February 2024, it is stalled in the House of Representatives.
  • It is not entirely clear when and how the House will vote on Ukraine.
  • Still, as a scholar of Eastern Europe, I think there are a few important reasons why the U.S. is unlikely to cut funding to Ukraine.

Republicans are divided over Ukraine aid

  • Johnson is facing pressure to delay voting on the Ukraine foreign aid bill for a few reasons.
  • One major factor is fighting between Republicans, who hold a slim majority in the House.
  • While some centrist Republican politicians support Ukraine funding and are pushing for a vote on the foreign aid package, others – hard-right Republicans – want a bill that prioritizes what they say are American interests, meaning more of a focus on domestic U.S. problems.

Delays on Ukraine benefit Putin

  • As the House continues to stall on a vote, Ukraine is rationing ammunition and supplies.
  • Delays with foreign aid to Ukraine give Putin time to move forward with plans to purchase ballistic missiles from Iran.
  • Without foreign aid from the U.S., Ukraine will face a strategic disadvantage that could lead to Russia winning the war.

The US needs Europe to compete with China

  • One factor is U.S. global power competition with China.
  • Russian and Chinese leaders declared a military and political partnership days before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
  • They announced on April 9, 2024, that they want to find ways to strengthen their joint security work across Asia and Europe.
  • U.S. political and military leaders have noted that supporting Ukraine and pushing back against Russia is one clear way to deter China from strengthening its global political power and military reach.
  • The U.S. needs its long-standing allies in Europe to help push back against China – and deterrence is only as effective as the size of the force doing the deterring.

Foreign aid benefits US arms industry

  • Most of America’s military aid to Ukraine consists of arms and ammunition from existing U.S. stockpiles.
  • If Congress approves an additional $60 billion for Ukraine, more than half of this money would go to U.S. factories that manufacture missiles and munitions.
  • In December 2023, Biden signed a U.S. defense policy bill that authorizes a record-high $886 billion in spending from July 2023 through June 2024.
  • But it also allows for the purchasing of new ships, aircraft and other types of ammunition.

Americans continue to support Ukraine aid


A majority of Americans still favor U.S. support of Ukraine, though about half of Republicans said in December 2023 that the U.S. is giving too much money to the country. Even though politicians do not always follow public opinion, there are clear reasons why it is not in the U.S.’s best interests to cut funding to Ukraine.
Tatsiana Kulakevich does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Ukraine recap: with winter closing in Zelensky resists calls to negotiate – but Gaza war adds to pressure

Retrieved on: 
Jeudi, novembre 9, 2023
Investor, Standstill, Attention, Baltic states, Terrorism, Optimism, Morale, Water, University, McMaster University, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Thought, Pressure, Face, Comprehensive, Conversation, Doctor of Philosophy, CFE, White, Violence, Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, Reuters, Farmer, Representative, Food security, House, Capitalism, House of Representatives, UN, Helsinki Summit (1990), Aircraft, The Conversation, Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, Drug, Arms industry, Mobile phone, Hamas, Avdiivka

Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine has ground on, day by day, metre by metre.

Key Points: 
  • Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine has ground on, day by day, metre by metre.
  • Reports from the frontline are that Russia has committed significant forces to the offensive, and suffered heavy losses.
  • In the south, the progress of Ukraine’s counteroffensive remains slow, according to Ukraine president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who was speaking at Reuters NEXT conference this week.
  • Read more:
    Ukraine war: stalemate on the battlefield and shaky international support putting pressure on Zelensky
  • You can also subscribe to our fortnightly recap of expert analysis of the conflict in Ukraine.
  • This of course, won’t play well with Ukraine’s western donors who want to see concrete evidence of successes on the battlefield.
  • But Russian troops, she writes, also know a great deal about fighting in winter conditions.
  • Read more:
    Ukraine and Russia claim to be prepared for extremes of winter warfare – here's what they face

Weaponising grain

  • Since Russia pulled out of the grain deal in July it has said it regards all shipping moving in and out of Ukrainian ports as legitimate targets.
  • This poses a major threat to Ukrainian grain exports and global food security as winter approaches.

Cold war getting warmer

  • Tensions ratcheted up this week when Russia announced it was pulling out of an important cold war-era treaty which placed verifiable limits on certain types of military equipment that either side could deploy, such as tanks, aircraft and artillery pieces.
  • Read more:
    Russia's decision to ditch cold war arms limitation treaty raises tensions with Nato

The diplomatic front

  • The fact is that Moscow has warm relations with all parties to the conflict in Gaza, certainly more so than Washington, which proscribes Hamas as a terrorist organisation.
  • She also notes that Hamas officials have visited Moscow three times since the war in Ukraine.
  • Russia, she says, is probably the only country Hamas would trust to broker some sort of a peace deal.