On December 18th local time, the White House announced that unless Congress approves an additional aid bill, the US aid program scheduled to be provided to Ukraine later this month will be the final batch of aid. Since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the US Congress has approved US $113 billion in aid to Ukraine, including US $46.6 billion in direct military assistance. White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on the same day that if Congress does not take action again and passes the Biden administration's emergency additional spending request, the funds allocated by the United States to Ukraine will be exhausted this month. Kirby told reporters that the Biden administration plans to announce another military aid plan for Ukraine this month. But he also stated that after that, the funds allocated to Ukraine will be exhausted: "After this plan is completed, we will not have any additional authority. We need Congress to take action without delay."
The bipartisan dispute in the United States has put the aid plan to Ukraine in a difficult situation
On December 12th local time, Zelensky was invited to visit the United States hastily. During his one-day itinerary, he met with US politicians such as members of Congress from both parties, majority leaders in both houses of Congress, Vice President Harris, and President Biden, seeking to push the US Congress to pass the next round of aid to Ukraine as soon as possible. However, CNN News reported that Zelensky's trip to the United States was completely different from last year's "Hero Welcome" visit and seemed to have failed to advance aid. Even Biden changed his stance after the meeting, stating for the first time that "we can support Ukraine as long as we can.".
On the 17th, the US Department of Defense urged Congress to take action on Biden's proposed additional funding of approximately $111 billion, including over $60 billion in aid to Ukraine and over $14 billion to Israel. The Biden administration even submitted funding requests under the guise of the Taiwan issue. However, due to lawmakers linking this request to border security issues during the debate, the related plan has been deadlocked in Congress. Republican Senator Lindsay Graham stated on the 17th that after several weeks of negotiations, senators are still "far from reaching an agreement by the end of the year," which could affect further US aid to Ukraine.
It is reported that the Biden administration is attempting to persuade the American public to invest more funds in Ukraine by emphasizing the benefits for American manufacturers and the job market. The charts circulated by officials on Capitol Hill show that swing states such as Pennsylvania and Arizona are benefiting billions of dollars from efforts to arm Ukraine.
Western officials may have accepted the fact of Ukraine's defeat in the war
On December 15th, CNN News quoted several US and European officials as saying that as Ukraine's aid program continues to stagnate in the US Congress, the US and its allies are evaluating the potential weakening impact they claim on Ukraine's defense capabilities, as well as the long-term prospects of losing this war.
A senior US military official said, "We cannot guarantee success, but without our assistance, Ukraine will definitely fail." The most direct concern is the impact of Ukraine's ongoing counterattacks in the east and south, where even with US support still arriving, the Ukrainian military will find it difficult to make significant progress. A European diplomat said: If we focus on seizing and controlling more territory, it is difficult to imagine how this would have been successful without the sustained support of the United States“
More broadly, Western officials are concerned that losing or further delaying US support will also affect the aid of their allies. On December 15th, Hungary blocked further aid from the European Union, causing Ukraine to suffer another blow. Although negotiations on this issue are expected to resume in January next year. This news highlights the scale of the challenges Ukraine is facing, and many people are concerned that if the United States cannot continue to provide support, European countries will follow suit.
