Military
Breakthrough in the USA: Ukraine can count on billions in aid
The Ukraine aid could cost the Republican chairman of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, his job. photo
© J. Scott Applewhite/AP/dpa
For a long time it looked as if the Republicans could not bring themselves to provide new aid to Ukraine. The USA is Kiev’s most important ally. Now there is good news for Zelensky.
The previous US military aid for Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia, has expired – Kiev is dependent on American support. After the vote, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was “grateful for the decision that keeps history on the right path.” “Democracy and freedom will always have global meaning and will never fail as long as America helps protect them,” he said. US President Biden called on the Senate, in which his Democrats have the majority, to act quickly. Votes are expected from Tuesday. Biden announced that he would sign the aid packages as soon as they landed on his desk. After the vote, numerous people gathered in front of Congress in Washington with Ukrainian flags and shouted “Thank you, USA!”
Bone of contention Ukraine
The USA is considered Ukraine’s most important ally in the fight against the Russian invasion. Since the war began in February 2022, President Biden’s administration has provided more than $44 billion in military assistance to Kyiv. There are also billions more in non-military financial aid. The package that has now been passed provides, among other things, funds for increasing the US military inventory. The money therefore goes indirectly to Ukraine, as the USA usually supplies the country attacked by Russia with equipment from its stocks. The remainder is earmarked for further military support and financial assistance in the form of loans. The text also calls for the delivery of long-range ATACMS missile systems, which Kiev is hoping for.
A number of Republicans vehemently reject further US aid to Ukraine. They argue the U.S. government should instead spend the money on securing the southern border with Mexico. This attitude was repeatedly fueled by former President Donald Trump, whose supporters in the party railed particularly loudly against aid to Ukraine. For months, the chairman of the House of Representatives, Johnson, did not move on the issue and allowed himself to be pushed along by radical party colleagues. The Republicans have a razor-thin majority in the chamber. Therefore, it is difficult to force a vote past them. Now it was Johnson who made the vote possible. He justified his change of heart by wanting to be on the right side of history.
Johnson risks job
The vote on Saturday showed how divided the Republican faction is. 112 Republicans voted against the aid package for Ukraine and 101 voted for it. Biden’s Democrats, on the other hand, voted unanimously for the bill. After the vote, some MPs in the plenary waved Ukraine flags and applauded. They were called to order by the chair of the meeting. Johnson criticized MPs, saying: “We should just wave a flag in the chamber.” Ardent Trump supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene was outraged by the vote and the flags in the plenary. “I think every American in this country should be furious,” said the hard-right lawmaker.
Greene submitted an initial request for Johnson’s deselection in March, and two other MPs later joined the party. So far she has not forced a vote on Johnson’s deselection. Johnson should now breathe a sigh of relief, at least in the short term, because the 49-year-old made it clear on Saturday that she would keep her feet still for the time being. She called Johnson’s behavior a “fraud.” If Greene really insists on a recall vote, Johnson will likely have to rely on the Democrats’ votes in the chamber to keep his job because of his group’s slim majority.
The 52-year-old only took over the office, which comes third in the United States’ ranking after the president and his vice president, around six months ago. The Democrats refused to support his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy. He was ousted from office in a historic vote in early October. Things could be different this time because Johnson accommodated the Democrats with the vote on Ukraine aid. In Johnson’s own group, representatives like Greene are primarily interested in causing chaos. Passing laws doesn’t seem to be a priority for many.
Also aid for Israel and Taiwan
It is therefore worth noting that, in addition to the Ukraine aid, other drafts have now passed the chamber. One text provides a good 26 billion US dollars for Israel. On the one hand, it is intended, for example, to finance Israel’s missile defense and the US’s ongoing military operations in the region. On the other hand, around $9 billion of this is intended for humanitarian support, including for the people in the Gaza Strip and other regions. Also approved are around $8 billion in support for Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific region and a text that calls for a sale of the Chinese short-video app Tiktok, as well as sanctions against Iran and the seizure of Russian assets.
Although aid for Israel was approved with a broad bipartisan majority, unlike Ukraine and Taiwan, there were also dissenting voices from the Democratic ranks. 37 Democrats and 21 Republicans voted against the package. The USA is Israel’s most important protecting power and supports the country with billions of dollars every year, a significant portion of which goes towards missile defense and other military technology. Israel’s behavior in the Gaza war is increasingly viewed critically, especially by Democrats. Some have called for further aid to be subject to conditions.