after failing to respond to American senators, Volodymyr Zelensky plans to speak to the leaders of the G7

2023-12-06 06:15:58

Very tense negotiations in the US Congress over aid to Ukraine

Democrats and Republicans clashed sharply this Tuesday during a meeting of the American Congress devoted to aid to Ukraine, the new capital envelope for the Kiev offensive being at the heart of very acrimonious negotiations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was to participate in this closed-door briefing by videoconference, canceled his intervention at the last minute, without giving a reason.

President Joe Biden’s promise to continue financial support to Ukraine is in serious jeopardy, a disaster scenario for kyiv, whose counter-offensive in the summer did not bring the hoped-for territorial gains.

A first procedural vote, scheduled for Wednesday in Congress on a new gigantic military, humanitarian and macroeconomic component for kyiv, should fail unless there is a big surprise. Aware that the sense of urgency has faded in Washington since the start of the war, the American president asked on October 20 to combine his request for aid for Ukraine – more than 61 billion dollars (57 billion approximately euros) – to one of approximately 14 billion for Israel, historic ally of the United States in the war against Hamas. But conservative elected officials condition the aid on a clear tightening of migration policy in the face of migrant arrivals at the border with Mexico. What the Democrats, for the moment, refuse.

Negotiations over this package are so tense that several members of Congress reported shouting and screaming during the meeting Tuesday afternoon. The Republicans then left the room en bloc. “They chose to jeopardize Ukraine’s funding and they will all have to live with this choice when Vladimir Putin marches on kyiv and Europe”castigated Democratic Senator Chris Murphy.

Ukrainian officials insist that they need more weapons to prevent Russian strikes from plunging millions of people into darkness this winter, like last year. The White House itself sounded the alarm on Monday, assuring that American military aid to Ukraine could be cut sharply in the coming weeks, in the absence of a budget agreement with the Republican opposition.

“If Congress does not act, by the end of the year we will run out of resources to deliver more weapons and equipment to Ukraine and to supply material from U.S. military stockpiles”wrote White House budget director Shalanda Young on Monday.