U.S. Lawmakers Fear They’ve Already Emboldened Putin With Ukraine Aid Delay
HuffPost
Russian propagandists have congratulated the GOP, and Vladimir Putin, the country's leader, may think Western support is faltering.
On Sept. 30, House Republicans stripped out of a stopgap spending bill about $6 billion for arms to be sent to Ukraine in its battle against Russian invaders. In October, the White House came back with a much larger request to arm Ukraine, in addition to Israel and Taiwan, topping $100 billion overall.
President Joe Biden’s proposal has been held up by Republicans. And while it’s not impossible that a deal trading stricter U.S. asylum policy, sought by the GOP, in exchange for Ukraine aid can be worked out before Christmas, full passage is unlikely after House members left town for the holidays Thursday.
The chamber isn’t set to return to business until Jan. 9, meaning more aid — if it’s approved at all — will be delayed. And that delay, say some Ukraine hawks on Capitol Hill, could be almost as dangerous as failing to send aid at all.
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), one of Ukraine’s most vocal defenders in the House, said the delay only incentivizes Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
“It gives him an adrenaline shot, oh yeah,” Kaptur said. “All of this commotion here caused by — I’m sorry to say — isolationist Republicans is hurting the soldiers in theater in Ukraine right now. Putin is broadcasting all this chaos on Russian TV every day, 24/7. So what they are doing is aiding and abetting the enemy.”
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