Biden ‘not making promises’ US will further assist Ukraine

Source: Politico | December 12, 2023 | Alexander Ward and Adam Cancryn

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will leave Washington without more clarity on whether the U.S. will continue sending weapons to help his country repel Russia.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday mounted a full-throated case for maintaining critical support for Ukraine in its war with Russia — but sounded less certain than ever he’d be able to deliver on it.

Standing alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Biden hailed the nation’s survival during two years of brutal war as an “enormous victory.” He expressed full confidence that Ukraine could ultimately prevail, and vowed that his White House would remain steadfast in its allyship.

Yet facing entrenched Republican resistance to billions of dollars more in funding to strengthen Ukraine’s defenses, Biden could not deliver Zelensky what he wanted: a rock-solid promise.

“We’re in negotiations to get funding we need. Not making promises, but hopeful we can get there — I think we can,” Biden said at a White House press conference with Zelenskyy.

Minutes earlier, Biden said the U.S. would continue to supply Ukraine with air defenses, artillery and other weapons “as long as we can” — a far cry from the yearslong refrain that Washington would stand side by side with Kyiv for “as long as it takes.”

It’s another sign that Biden isn’t free to operate on the world stage as he pleases. Polarized politics at home hamstrung his ability to do what he wants — in this case, assure Zelenskyy that the U.S. will always be there to bolster Ukraine’s defenses. It’s a far different mood in December than it was in September during Zelenskyy’s last visit, when Biden remained hopeful that Washington’s woes wouldn’t affect how the U.S. handled the bruising war.

A majority of Republicans in the House and Senate would vote along with Democrats to send more weapons to Ukraine. But first they want Biden to agree to a tougher border policy, leading to painstaking negotiations that are unlikely to conclude by year’s end. That leaves Zelenskyy, who traveled to Washington this week to convince lawmakers their approval was needed, empty-handed as he travels home to his war-torn country.

Biden chastised Republicans for putting the U.S. in the position of not being able to pump Ukraine full of more weapons, citing remarks by Russian commentators thanking Republicans for holding up passage of the legislation. “If you’re being celebrated by Russian propagandists, it might be time to rethink what you’re doing,” he said.

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