The United States and its NATO allies are accelerating transfers of arms and anti-drone technology to the Kiev regime .
Speaking on condition of anonymity during a recent NATO summit in Berlin, a Western official told reporters that the alliance had already started providing winter gear, claiming “The Ukrainians are on their front foot, and they certainly feel prepared for the winter campaign,” and that foreign aid is currently “very much [focused on] the winter.”
Kiev has heavily depended on the West to train its soldiers and supply arms, ammunition and battlefield intelligence since Russian forces invaded in late February. In that time, the White House has approved at least $70 billion in aid to Kiev, much of that devoted to heavy weapons and vehicles, including long-range multi-launch rocket platforms, artillery pieces, shoulder-fired rockets, helicopters and drones.
However, there may be another reason for the weapons supply rush, the possible Republican takeover of the Congress and the Senate, and they are less likely to continue unlimited support to Kiev’s regime.
My impression is bottomless support for the Ukraine war is gaining some skeptics in America.
My impression is bottomless support for the Ukraine war is gaining some skeptics in America.
— Max Abrahms (@MaxAbrahms) October 19, 2022
Though US arms stockpiles have become increasingly depleted after countless rounds of arms shipments, the flow of aid appears set to carry on at the present pace, with Secretary Austin recently declaring that Washington will continue to “do everything we can to make sure that they have what’s required to be effective.”, Kyle Anzalone & Will Porter writes in The Libertarian Institute
A Republican-controlled Congress may throttle the flow of cash and increase pressure on Europe to pay up, media say
If the Republican Party takes control of Congress, “NATO’s most generous donor to Ukraine’s war effort may suddenly seem much more parsimonious,” next year, Politico warned on Thursday. Similar predictions have been made by other outlets, such as Axios.
Opinion polls have been showing dwindling support among American voters for further support to Kiev’s regime. Members of the Republican Party have been increasingly criticizing President Joe Biden for asking Congress for tens of billions of dollars in aid to Kiev and not spending the money on domestic issues that the party finds important, like border protection.
Earlier this week, Congress Republican minority leader Kevin McCarthy said that while still being “important,” helping Ukraine in its conflict against Russia couldn’t remain the dominating issue on the agenda in Washington anymore. “I think people are gonna be sitting in a recession and they’re not going to write a blank check to Ukraine. They just won’t do it,” he told Punchbowl News. According to a report by Axios on Wednesday, such a sentiment is shared by many other GOP lawmakers.
Republicans have long urged Europe to take a greater burden in supporting Ukraine, arguing that the crisis there is a bigger threat to Europeans than it is to the US. Politico predicted that with the party gaining a stronger grip on pursestrings, Washington’s approach to its allies may shift.
The Biden administration is using “friendly encouragement … rather than haranguing its partners,” the news outlet noted. If the GOP takes over Congress, they would not use “such a convivial tone.”
But officials in Brussels don’t expect any serious changes in Washington’s generosity towards Ukraine due to an overall bipartisan consensus in favor of it.
Estonian ambassador to the US, Kristjan Prikk, said he has “been assured by different members of Congress that there is a strong core support to continue the assistance to Ukraine as long as needed from both parties.”
David McAllister, chair of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, told Politico that ultimately “the president maintains considerable control over foreign policy.” RT report
Kiev officials ‘shocked’ by US aid comments
A claim by House minority leader Kevin McCarthy that Republicans could curb US support for Ukraine if they win the midterm elections on November 8 has caught Kiev by surprise, David Arakhamia, who heads President Vladimir Zelensky’s party in parliament, has revealed.
“We were shocked to hear these comments of Mr McCarthy,” Arakhamia said in an interview with the Financial Times on Wednesday.
According to Arakhamia, the congressman’s comments contradicted what was said during their face-to-face meeting, which took place in Washington in June.
“Just a few weeks ago, our delegation visited the US and had a meeting with Mr McCarthy. We were assured that bipartisan support of Ukraine in its war with Russia will remain a top priority even if they win in the elections,” the Kiev official insisted.
Arakhamia’s words also appeared to contradict a report by Politico on Wednesday, which cited unnamed White House aides, claiming the Ukrainian government understood that things could change if the Republicans take control of at least one chamber of Congress after the midterms.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko told the Financial Times that the country was still counting on “continued bipartisan support” from the US.
The US has been Ukraine’s strongest backer since the outbreak of its conflict with Russia in late February, providing Kiev with weapons, funds and intelligence. Washington has already supplied $16.8 billion in military aid to Zelensky’s government, including sophisticated hardware such as HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, M777 howitzers, and combat drones.