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If military and financial support for Ukraine was until now one of the few consensus issues in American public life, some voices, both on the left and on the right, are now calling for a change in Joe Biden’s foreign policy.
With Guillaume Naudin, RFI correspondent in Washington, and AFP
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, US President Joe Biden and his administration have been building and maintaining the alliance forged between the West and Ukraine. US military aid to Ukraine currently stands at $40 billion, of which $11.2 billion still needs to be approved by Democrats and Republicans.
But Biden must now turn his efforts and attention to his own presidential party. Thirty elected representatives from the left wing of the House of Representatives sent a letter, made public on Monday, to the occupant of the White House, suggesting that he change his strategy towards Ukraine and open a negotiating channel with Russia.
The letter sparked an outcry within the Democratic Party and was hastily withdrawn on Tuesday, citing a publishing error by a parliamentary aide. The elected representatives in question also regret that their initiative has given the impression of “alignment” with certain personalities in the Republican field.
Republicans say there is no “blank check” for Ukraine
Last week, Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy warned that his party would not write a “blank check” to Ukraine if Republicans won the midterm elections in November.
However, within the Republican Party, the Ukraine issue divides. Some pro-Trump Republicans have criticized military aid to Ukraine, such as Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Greene, who accused the US president of sending “US taxpayer hard-earned dollars”. Instead, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has promised to do even more for Ukraine and “send” weapons to kyiv, including missiles capable of reaching Russian territory.
For its part, the White House reiterates its line: nothing will be decided on Ukraine without Ukraine, and Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky will be the first to decide on opening negotiations with Russia.
