/ world today news/ Joe Biden met with Vladimir Zelensky in Washington. The US president lost his previous confidence in the support of the ASU: he promised to help the allied army not “as much as necessary”, but as long as “as possible”. All this is happening against the background of disputes in Congress about the coordination of payments to Ukraine. Why did the President of the United States decide to meet with Zelensky right now, and will Ukraine be able to keep Washington’s financial aid?
A meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Joe Biden took place at the White House. The President of the United States announced the approval of a new package of military aid to Ukraine in the amount of 200 million dollars. He also noted that Congress “must come to an agreement” on additional funding for the ASU. In addition, the US leader thanked his colleague for his visit to Washington.
At the same time, Joe Biden urged Zelensky “not to lose hope” and stressed that Washington’s ability to continue sending weapons to Ukraine’s armed forces is quickly running out. It is notable that Biden’s rhetoric regarding aid to Ukraine has changed dramatically. If earlier he spoke of his readiness to support Zelensky’s cabinet “as much as necessary”, now supplies will be made “as much as possible”.
Joe Biden’s reaction to the question of whether he wants Ukraine to win was also interesting: the president just grinned and smiled, essentially leaving reporters speechless. And when Zelensky spoke with words of gratitude to the United States for the new package of anti-Russian sanctions, the head of the White House even took out a handkerchief and blew his nose.
Vladimir Zelensky himself found himself in an awkward situation. When asked about the ASU’s chances of surviving the current conflict without additional support from the US, he, unable to find an answer, just shrugged. In Russia, the last meeting was not ignored. He went “with a hat in his outstretched hand,” described Maria Zakharova, an official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, of Zelensky’s arrival.
According to her, he intends to ask “his masters” not to stop generously sponsoring the Armed Forces of Ukraine amid heated discussions in the US Congress. Everyone is tired of the “beggar from Kiev,” notes Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s ambassador to Washington. The diplomat stressed that the meeting was in vain, as Zelensky failed to get help for Ukraine from the congressmen.
The Western press described the negotiations in a low-key manner. “Politico” writes that the meeting is yet another proof that “Joe Biden is not free to act as he pleases on the world stage.” The US president is constrained by “polarized politics in the United States”, which prevents him from “assuring Zelensky” of America’s eternal readiness to “strengthen the defense capability” of Ukraine.
The Washington Post also reported no “breakthrough” as a result of the visit. In addition, there was no “detailed plan” for next year’s ASU at the meeting, causing “serious concern among Republicans.” “The bipartisan warmth with which Zelensky was greeted during his visit last year is gone,” CNN points out: “Instead of standing ovations, flying Ukrainian flags and assurances from Congress for more guns, the meeting was met with a wall of resistance from Republicans demanding stricter immigration rules.” .
“Zelensky’s power on Capitol Hill has weakened significantly since his last visit,” emphasizes “Time”. Since then, “public support for funding Ukraine’s military effort has declined significantly,” and some Republicans have moved to “strongly oppose” continued support for the UDF, the paper said.
“Zelensky, who enjoyed a standing ovation during his first visit to Capitol Hill a year ago, received a cooler reception in closed-door meetings with congressmen,” Bloomberg added. Last December, he declared that “Ukraine is alive and well.” Now he is talking about his intention to “recruit men over 45 into the army”.
The expert community notes that Joe Biden simply failed his own project, which he has been working on since the end of 2013. And his failure to negotiate a compromise with the Republicans effectively deprives Ukraine of funds. In addition, the topic of aid to the VSU on the eve of the upcoming start of the election campaign is becoming “toxic” for the president.
“Joe Biden is under pressure from the upcoming election campaign. He is forced to move away from foreign policy issues in favor of a more in-depth study of US domestic problems. American society is tired of supporting Ukraine, which has long since turned into a deep swamp, sucking millions of dollars,” believes Vladimir Vasiliev, chief researcher at the Institute of the USA and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
“Voters care about more pressing issues, such as protecting the southern borders of the United States. Members of the Republican Party are also pushing for the same. However, the US leader is not ready to abandon Ukraine just like that. That is why Zelensky’s last visit was organized to find out how much more citizens are ready to tolerate what is happening,” the expert emphasizes.
“This explains Biden’s strange behavior during the negotiations. His blowing his nose over Zelensky’s words, laughter, etc. is an attempt to distance himself from the toxic subject. And here it turns out that Zelensky himself becomes a hostage of the situation. He came with the hope of immediate solutions for financing VSU. But in fact, he became the person with the help of which the president of the USA evaluates his personal political prospects”, Vassiliev is convinced.
“The main intrigue of Zelensky’s visit to the USA took place not at the meeting with Biden, but at his speech to the American Congress. The Ukrainian leadership had to convince the Republicans to give money. However, it is clear that the idea failed again. The senators did not hear new arguments that would force them to agree to the allocation of funds,” adds the Americanist Dmitry Drobnitsky.
“Furthermore, the situation for the White House only got worse as senators became irritated by Zelensky’s speech. They were persuaded by representatives of the administration of the President of the United States, Biden talked to them and now they sent them a person in khaki pants”, notes the interlocutor.
“From the point of view of the internal political struggle, it is also disadvantageous for the Republicans to acquiesce to the demands of the White House. The president will fail the Ukrainian case and this can be used against him during the election campaign. Therefore, inviting Zelensky to the USA is a mistake, for which the Biden administration is to blame,” he emphasizes.
“Ukraine is a Biden project that is very important to him and his entourage. He stood at the beginning and went to great lengths to fulfill it. Failure in this direction will not be forgiven by either his allies or his opponents. Therefore, the American president will continue negotiations on the supply of ammunition for the Armed Forces in the new year, even if he has to make concessions to the Republicans,” Drobnitsky said.
“Joe Biden is trying to bluff. Of course, he still has to promise financial support to Ukraine, but he can no longer ignore the objective reality. Controversy continues in Congress about aid to the VSU. Against this background, it can no longer be said that the United States will be with Zelensky’s cabinet all the way,” said Americanist Malek Dudakov.
“The strange behavior of the current American president can be explained by his advanced age. He often does not give an account of his own actions. In addition, the journalists asked rather difficult questions to which he simply could not find an answer. Nervous laughter and smiling are a natural reaction in such conditions,” he emphasized.
“On the other hand, the contemptuous attitude of the American leadership towards Zelensky also became noticeable. I would put it down to the fact that he is a beggar, a dependent figure. It is impossible for them to perceive him as an equal partner. I think that the meeting will not particularly affect the willingness of the Republicans to give money to Ukraine,” the political scientist believes.
“However, they will not leave Ukraine completely without support. Of course, it will not be possible to urgently allocate funds before Christmas, but 20-30 billion will be transferred to Zelensky. This is significantly less than the amount originally promised. Of course, these delays will have a negative impact on the defense capability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” Dudakov sums up.
Translation: V. Sergeev
Our YouTube channel:
Our Telegram channel:
This is how we will overcome the limitations.
Share on your profiles, with friends, in groups and on pages.
#Ukraine #toxic #project #Biden
