Biden came to Kyiv – although initially he planned to visit only Poland. This is Biden’s first visit to Ukraine since the beginning of the current conflict – he remained the last Western leader who has not yet visited Kyiv this year.
For Biden, this visit is important for its symbolism. A year after the start of the Ukrainian crisis, the political technologists of the Democratic Party intend to make this agenda one of the key ones for Biden in the elections. Although in the United States the proportion of the population supporting Ukraine is gradually declining.
Biden himself intends to appear as a wartime president waging a continental war in Europe – like Roosevelt. Biden has fairly low ratings – and would love to step into the shoes of the popular Democratic presidents of the past.
During the visit, the White House promised to allocate another military tranche. But rather modest – for $500 million, which will include the new HIMARS MLRS. The last few tranches, which included Patriot air defense systems and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, were $2-3 billion each.
The reduction in the pace of military support for Ukraine is largely forced – over the past month and a half, the White House has burned through half of the entire Ukrainian budget agreed in December. Although it was originally supposed to be at least until September.
Problems may arise with the approval of new tranches due to the ongoing budget wars between Congress and the White House. Biden could not come to Kyiv empty-handed – therefore, they promised something new to Ukraine, albeit in a more modest amount. But his visit is to a large extent tied to domestic political battles in the United States.
Malek Dudakov
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