After months of obstruction and bickering over weapons to Ukraine – an impasse in which Russia had the upper hand – a vote suddenly appears likely this week.
Something strange is happening in Washington.
After months of obstruction and altercations over weapons; ukraine – The impasse that occurred Russia Advantage – All of a sudden it looks like the vote will be counted by Saturday.
This is a story of redemption for Ukraine, which will receive more than $60bn (£48bn) in lethal aid.
But it also represents a strange development in America’s political turmoil.
For months, House Republicans have blocked passage of a bill to send additional weapons to Ukraine.
Republican Speaker Mike Johnson has repeatedly refused to vote on the Senate-passed bill.
Conservative right-wing Republicans have variously argued that Ukraine should not receive U.S. aid and that the U.S. should focus on its own southern border rather than far-flung European borders.
The Speaker was indebted to them for fear of losing his job, but was to some extent aligned with them, so he blocked the vote.
On the battlefield in eastern Ukraine, this DC stalemate had consequences.
Ukrainians lack all types of weapons, including small arms, ammunition for soldiers’ rifles.
Analysts say Russia’s recent airstrike successes are a result of Ukraine’s lack of air defense interceptors. And on the front lines, the imbalance between artillery power and shells is increasing day by day. Russia has the upper hand.
Russia’s deadly attack on Chernihiv
Pro-Trump Republicans like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz have led a vocal minority denouncement of Ukrainian funding, arguing that the focus should be on the Mexican border, and the idea that both are possible. is refusing.
So what has changed? Why is Chairman Johnson suddenly not worried about them? That’s all. It’s not entirely clear.
Johnson went to Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort for dinner last week. What was said? I do not understand. But Trump said he thought Johnson was doing a great job. Something was off.
Perhaps David Cameron will take the credit. He was at Mar-a-Lago just days before telling President Trump how important Ukraine was.
But somewhere along the way, the stubborn Mr. Johnson had an epiphany.
His language at the Capitol last night was impressive.
“This is not a game. This is not a joke. We can’t play politics,” he said, without any sense of irony given his political activity over the past few months.
He added: “We have to do the right thing, and we’re willing to take personal risks to do it, because we have to do the right thing and history will judge.”
The bill would have to rely on Democratic votes to pass.
This infuriates the hard-line right-wingers on his side. But if they want to oust him, they will also have to rely on Democratic votes. They also say, ignoring the irony, that it might happen.
It all represents a fascinating development in the most confusing of politics, and there is a way forward. Will Johnson keep his job? What does President Trump really think? There are whispers in the US media that Rupert Murdoch is a fan of Johnson. That obviously means a lot.
It not only describes the turmoil in America’s domestic politics, but also points to the enduring power it holds geopolitically, even as its influence and engagement wanes.
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Without the United States, there would be a vacuum. And in the case of Ukraine, that vacuum was filled by Russia.
It also suggests how intertwined geopolitics is. Russian drones flying into Ukrainian cities are Iranian-made. These are the same type of drones that nearly hit Israel over the weekend.
It is no coincidence that there is movement on this bill now.
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