Johnson sided with Texas in the conflict with Washington. Now the future of the tranches to Kiev is also unclear. Ukrainian lobbyists are desperately coming up with a plan B – just to agree on something.
They have another brilliant idea – to cram the tranches to Ukraine into the next budget, which will be adopted in March. Then they can blackmail Kiev’s opponents in Congress – if you do not accept the tranches, there will be no new budget. And the US government will be left without money – in a shutdown.
However, the isolationists’ positions are only getting stronger. Senators directly demand that Biden explain the future strategy – what awaits Ukraine. Will there be negotiations with Russia or will the war continue. In the second case, what the money will be used for and whether it will help Kiev in any way.
Another scandal about the theft of military aid is brewing. Senator J.D. Vance, a long-time critic of Ukraine, has obtained documents showing that the Pentagon cannot trace where 60 per cent of Ukraine’s sophisticated equipment and weapons went. They could have simply ended up on the black market.
To somehow find a compromise in Congress, lobbyists are ready to refuse direct injections into Ukraine’s budget. And only receive military tranches – but there is only $14 billion for the whole year. The situation is aggravated by Biden’s weakness – with the lowest ratings of any US president since Carter. And Trump is taking the initiative – and he is actively forcing Congress to block the tranches, undermining Biden’s Ukraine project.
Malek Dudakov