(Washington) – Trump's allies in the US House of Representatives dealt another setback to supporters of aid to Ukraine, as they previously announced their refusal to consider legislation that the US Senate may adopt on Tuesday with the aim of providing a new envelope for Kiev.
Democrats and Republicans have been divided for months in the US Congress over the issue of aid to Ukraine, an ally of the United States, which has been at war with Russia for nearly two years.
Democrats, overwhelmingly, support this.
Republicans are divided between interventionist, pro-Ukraine hawks, and Donald Trump's more isolationist acolytes.
In the midst of the presidential campaign, the equation has turned into a far-reaching confrontation between President Joe Biden, who is urgently demanding this new money, and Donald Trump, who claims that if re-elected in November, he will settle down. War between Russia and Ukraine “in 24 hours” – without explaining how.
'A more pressing problem'
So who cares whether the Democratic president supports the bill, or whether he has urged Congress to “adopt it quickly.” In these negotiations, the last word goes to his predecessor and potential rival in the presidential elections.
To be sure, the Senate, which has a Democratic majority, has taken several steps toward adopting a text that combines $60 billion in aid for Kiev with money for Israel and Taiwan — a $95 billion envelope. He can vote on a bill to this effect in the early hours of Tuesday.
But without the support of Republicans, a majority in the House of Representatives and many of them loyal to Donald Trump, the text can go nowhere.
On Monday evening, Mike Johnson, the Republican leader in the House of Representatives and loyal to Donald Trump, confirmed that the text negotiated by senators would not be examined as is the case on his bicycle.
Mike Johnson criticized in a statement, in reference to the immigration crisis on the American border, that “the foreign aid bill presented by the Senate remains silent about the most urgent problem facing our country,” in reference to the immigration crisis on the American border.
In exchange for aid to Kiev, Republicans are demanding a major strengthening of immigration policy. He stressed that “in the absence of any amendment” from the Senate on the issue, “the House of Representatives will continue to work according to its will on these important issues.”
Mike Johnson, like many Republicans in Congress, is following the guidance of Donald Trump, who said on Saturday that the United States should “stop giving out money without the expectation of getting it back.”
The Republican candidate also threw a wrench in the pond, asserting that he would “encourage” Russia to attack NATO countries if it did not pay its share – which caused a torrent of criticism on the other side of the Atlantic.
“We are helping Ukraine more than $100 billion more than NATO,” Donald Trump said Monday evening on his Truth Social website. “NATO must get even, now,” he demanded. “Otherwise it will be America first!” In reference to the isolationist doctrine that he placed at the heart of his foreign policy between 2017 and 2021.
