The USA is on the verge of leaving Ukraine hanging

Even moderate Republicans only want to approve an aid package for Ukraine in the US Senate if the Democrats tighten asylum laws. Ukraine warns that without swift help it risks defeat in the war against Russia.

Ukraine's defensive battle is currently in danger of being lost in the US Congress. The reason for this is the inability of Democrats and Republicans in Washington to agree on a new aid package for the country invaded by Russia. Both sides blame each other for the blockade. At the heart of the dispute is migration policy.

The aid package for Ukraine is part of a "supplementary budget for national security", which amounts to a total of 110.5 billion US dollars. The majority of this, more than 60 billion dollars, is for aid to Ukraine, while a good 14 billion dollars is to go to Israel. The allocations in the draft bill partially overlap. For example, more than 43.6 billion US dollars are to be invested "in the US industrial base" in order to increase the country's capacity in the production of weapons and ammunition and to replenish stocks - the text does not specify which gaps were caused by deliveries to Ukraine and which by deliveries to Israel.

Around 14 billion is also earmarked for controlling the border with Mexico and other migration policy measures. This also includes money to support "recognized arrivals and unaccompanied children", which has met with criticism from Republicans. They want the asylum laws to be significantly tightened and fewer migrants to be allowed into the country overall.

Shouting at the briefing in the Senate

On Tuesday, a briefing for senators on the war in Ukraine ended in a "shouting match", according to CNN. According to Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the argument started when Republican Leader Mitch McConnell asked for the border to be discussed instead of Ukraine. Republican Senator Tom Cotton even shouted at one of the generals present, asking why the army was not securing the border, according to CNN. There was also anger because no representative of the ministry responsible for border security was present.

Moderate Republican Mitt Romney called the meeting a waste of time. "We want to help Ukraine and Israel, but first the Democrats have to recognize that the deal is that we stop the open border," Romney said. On X, he asked, "Is an open border more important to Democrats than Ukraine and Israel?"

The briefing was the meeting that was supposed to be joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. This was canceled without any reason being given.

Republican senators fear their voters

According to the "Washington Post", the senators are "teetering " towards failure. Although it is very likely that the Republicans will vote against it unanimously, Schumer wants to put the supplementary budget to the vote this Wednesday. The majority leader argues that the Republicans could introduce a bill on the border that is in line with their ideas: if they could convince eleven Democratic senators, they would have the necessary three-fifths majority of 60 votes, Schumer said. This would be "a unique opportunity".

McConnell, on the other hand, is urging his Republican colleagues to "make a point" by rejecting the package that his group insists on a "meaningful" change to border policy. However, the stance on Ukraine also plays a role in the dispute. While a large majority of Democratic supporters are in favor of standing by Ukraine, only a minority of Republicans are. Supporters of former President Donald Trump are particularly opposed to the aid. According to the Washington Post, Republican senators who are convinced of the need to support the country are therefore worried that their stance could become a problem for them in the upcoming primaries.

Ukraine fears losing the war

Zelenskyi's chief of staff Andriy Yermak said at an event in Washington that if the US Congress did not approve the support soon, there was a "very high probability" that Ukraine would lose the war. The White House also warned Congress that the money for Ukraine would run out "by the end of the year". According to the New York Times, however, there are voices in the US Department of Defense that contradict this view. According to them, the 4.8 billion dollars still available in the Pentagon for Ukraine is enough to get through the winter.

However, there is no security in the medium term. "If the Republicans reject the Ukraine bill because of their disagreement over a completely different policy dispute, then they bear responsibility for the global catastrophe that will result from their political gambling," said Democratic Senator Chris Murphy.

The Republicans know this too. Nevertheless, they are not changing their stance: "I'm with you on Ukraine," said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. He was fully aware that there would be war between Russia and NATO if Putin was successful with his invasion of Ukraine. However, he also made Republican approval of the supplementary budget dependent on the security problems on the border being solved.

US President Joe Biden called the lack of support for Ukraine "absolutely crazy" and "against the interests of the USA". "We'll get it done," he promised.