The unqualified support US President Joe Biden has given Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion is meeting its first setbacks, with the deterioration of public opinion and criticism from the Republican majority in the House of Representatives.
Since the start of the war on Feb. 24, 2022, the Biden administration and US Congress have sent about $113 billion in aid to Ukraine, according to a report by the Pentagon, State Department and Inspectors General of the United States. USAID. This support included financial, military and humanitarian aid.
But a year of war, in a context of high inflation and weakening economic conditions, resulted in a decline in American public support.
This scenario emerges in several surveys conducted over the past month showing support cooling in the United States – at a time when some votes from the Republican Party, which has regained control of the House of Representatives, are in revolt against the continued sending of aid, essential for the survival of Ukraine as a state.
“You remind us that freedom is priceless. It deserves to be fought for as long as possible,” Biden said along with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his surprise visit to Kiev on February 20.
“And that’s how we’re going to support you, Mr. President: as long as it takes,” Biden promised.
However, the prospect of a protracted conflict and Ukraine’s growing needs, both in terms of arms and ammunition and financial support for reconstruction, threaten the integrity of Biden’s pledge.
Four days after the first anniversary of the war, several congressmen questioned Pentagon officials during a tense parliamentary hearing, asking questions about financial and military aid being sent to Ukraine.
Louisiana Republican Congressman Mike Johnson asked Defense Department Inspector General Robert Storch how he makes sure Ukrainians are honest and transparent about what is being shipped.
Representative Andrew Clyde of Georgia, who has openly criticized the support, had already called for guarantees that the weapons sent are used for the stated purpose and not “misappropriated for nefarious purposes”.
Officers Colin Kahl and Celeste Wallander stated that there is no evidence that “delicate” weapons were used for any other purpose. Wallander indicated that the Biden administration may need to seek approval for more aid before the end of the fiscal year in September.
“We’re all concerned about accountability,” said South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson, who has supported aid to Ukraine. “Let’s get this out there so the American people can be sure of the cost.”
Popular support is down, polls say
Concerns about public opinion are emerging as minority Republican party votes against aid to Ukraine are making their way among conservative voters.
An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs poll published in February indicates that 48% of Americans support sending guns, down 12 points from last May (when it was 60% ). As for financial aid, 37% are in favor and 38% against.
Another recent survey from the Pew Research Center shows that the percentage of Americans who say the United States is sending “too much” aid to Ukraine has risen 19 percentage points since the invasion and 6 percentage points since last September, to 26%.
The research shows that the change is mainly related to “the growing number of Republicans who say the US is sending too much aid to Ukraine”. It was only 9% when the invasion happened and now it’s 40% of Republicans who hold this view.
In the House of Representatives, Congressman of the extremist Republican wing Matt Gaetz introduced a resolution dubbed “Ukraine Fatigue” in February proposing an end to financial and military aid to the country.
“We must suspend all foreign aid to the war in Ukraine and demand that all combatants in this conflict immediately reach a peace agreement,” Gaetz said. The resolution was supported by ten Republican congressmen, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert and Thomas Massie.
The proposal will have no immediate effect, but it symbolizes a rift that is more pronounced now, after an initial year of war in which Congress sided with the Biden administration, in a bipartisan consensus.
While the majority of congressmen continue to support Ukraine, both in the Senate and House of Representatives, the faction opposing it is more interventionist, playing with a fragile leadership of Kevin McCarthy, who accepted extreme rules to get elected, such as the possibility of being removed from office by vote of a member.
The New York Times reported last week that the Ukrainian president is trying to set up a conference call with McCarthy to plead for continued aid.
In a session promoted by the Association of Foreign Correspondents in the United States (AFPC-USA), Portuguese-American political scientist Everett Vieira III said he believed “aid will continue” although it may adopt new formats taking into account the changing context.
The political scientist considered the weakening of popular support “relevant”, stating that “there are very loud voices taking note of this”, but this is not much different from what happened at other times in the field of international relations. “There will always be policy opponents,” he reflected, noting that domestic concerns, such as inflation and high interest rates, play a role.
Source: DN
