How Biden and Trump see the end of Ukraine's war and why it's a problem for Ukraine
The long-awaited and indeed vitally important bill on aid to Ukraine has been approved in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The US President promptly signed the bill into law after that. It is worth noting several moments that shed light on the aspects of Washington's actions that are not really changed by this aid package.
Read more about Washington's position on countering Russia in the article by Alyona Getmanchuk, the New Europe Center director - The Uncertain States of America. What challenges to backing Ukraine are not addressed by aid bill adopted by Congress? First, the approval of the aid does not change the overall US policy on ending the war against Ukraine.
Moreover, this general policy is shared by both President Biden and presidential candidate Trump. Advertisement: In their opinion, the war should end with a "negotiated settlement".
Of course, their positions as to what that should involve are different. Biden would like to do everything elegantly, so as to give the impression that such negotiations take place at the initiative of Ukraine and taking its interests into account, while Trump does not hide that he wants to act according to his own plan for settlement "within 24 hours". Another significant difference is that Biden would not likely agree to any form of legitimation or recognition by the US of the Russian occupation of parts of Ukraine's territory, whereas Trump has repeatedly indicated that he does not consider the territorial integrity of Ukraine a particularly valuable asset (nor, by the way, the territorial integrity of some other countries).
Individual mentions of Ukrainian victory are certainly important, because they ensure this concept is not marginalised, even in cases where Ukraine, as in 2022, is once again forced to fight for its very survival. There have been numerous public statements by the current administration that "Russia has strategically lost, Ukraine has strategically won, saying: you have survived, so this is your victory. Considering Washington's stake in a "negotiated settlement", it is important for Ukraine not to stop explaining that its position is different and to undergird it with the help of like-minded Republicans in Congress.
The fact that the formula "peace through strength" is reflected in the title of the bill adopted in a package with the Ukrainian "supplemental" sends an important signal that this approach has supporters. Second, the approved aid package does not change the character of American leadership in the war with Russia. Zelenskyy praised Biden for "true global leadership of the United States" in his phone call on Monday.
But let's face the facts: although it's leadership, it's hardly global and definitely not "true". Rather, in the context of the White House actions, it is worth talking about the US' leadership by restraint, which does not always come across as inspiring, and can even be discouraging. During the author's recent visit to European capitals - Paris, Rome, Berlin - there were repeated stories about how a respected representative of the Biden administration had called NATO countries advising them not to participate in the "Macron summit" on 26 February which the French president was gathering to form a coalition of states ready for decisive resistance to Russian aggression.
What Ukraine needs, however, is not "restraining leadership", but a coalition of the determined. Third, the American view of the war in Ukraine has not changed with the approval of the aid. Washington considers and will continue to consider it a European war.
Fourth, the aid that has been approved does not change the fact that the US is in a state of strategic uncertainty. It is thus important to continue working in the European capitals, some of which may become pillars of the coalition of the determined. Fifth and last, the aid provided is unlikely to fully restore Ukraine's trust in the US and its major partners.
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