There are still many months to go before the US presidential election.
But Donald Trump is already having a deeply malign effect on American
foreign policy. At Trump’s behest, Republicans in Congress are blocking military aid for Ukraine.

Although the US Senate may agree an aid package this week, Republicans
in the House of Representatives remain completely intransigent. As a
result, it seems increasingly unlikely that military aid for Ukraine
will get through Congress in the coming months — or even this year.

The consequences of that decision could be disastrous. Ukraine is
already suffering from a shortage of ammunition — in particular
artillery shells. That will become more acute this year, with
increasingly dangerous results.

Watling believes that the consequences of the munitions shortage “will initially be felt slowly and then felt fast”. He warns that “when it reaches the point that the consequences are very obvious, it will
already be too late”.

Trump and his Republican party supporters do not seem to care. They are apparently prepared to risk a Russian victory — if it even slightly
increases Trump’s chance of defeating President Joe Biden in November.

Some of the Republican reluctance to pass new aid for Ukraine is driven
by genuine scepticism about the war. But most of the foot-dragging is
simply about Trump’s refusal to give Biden anything that looks like a “win” ahead of the presidential election.

Last year, the Republicans demanded that military aid for Ukraine be
tied to new measures and money for border security in the US. The
Democrats have agreed. But Trump and the Republicans are refusing to
take yes for an answer. Trump evidently wants to run on the idea that
Biden has presided over chaos and failure — stretching from the southern border to Kabul and Kyiv.

https://www.ft.com/content/18c5296a-f0d5-47d5-aacd-af5210d638fc

Republicans are full of it.

--
"And off they went, from here to there,
The bear, the bear, and the maiden fair"
-- Traditional

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