What does it mean for the US Senate to block $60 billion in aid to Ukraine?

On December 7th local time, Agence France Presse reported that after Ukraine's counterattack was in trouble, it was facing increasing pressure, and the assistance of the United States and Europe to Ukraine was also increasingly questioned. On December 6th, the US Senate voted to block the Biden administration's proposal, including aid to Ukraine.

It is reported that before this vote, President Biden once again urged Congress to "not let Putin win" and threatened that "if Putin takes Ukraine, it will lead to direct conflict between the United States and Russia," but the result was still counterproductive. According to the latest report of the Kiel World Economic Research Institute in Germany, from August to October this year, the military, economic, financial and humanitarian assistance pledged by the United States and Europe to Ukraine fell by nearly 90% compared with the same period last year, which is the lowest point since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The vote on the aid issue for Ukraine this time was 49 in favor and 51 against, which is very rare compared to the Democratic majority in the Senate. On that day, Republican senators unanimously voted against it, with Democratic senators and independent senators who usually vote in favor of the Democratic Party joining the Republican opposition.

And Agence France Presse's report and comments on this are even more sharp. According to Agence France Presse, this marks a major failure for the Biden administration. Due to internal conflicts in Congress, US aid to Ukraine has come to a standstill. At the same time, this also marks that in Russia's powerful "winter offensive", the Ukrainian army will be in great passive position due to a shortage of clothing, food, and ammunition.

So, what the public is closely concerned about is what Ukraine has done wrong, and why did the US Congress make such a decision?

A recent report by The Washington Post shared the United States' views on the reasons for the failure of Ukraine's counterattack, which may provide answers. According to reports, Americans accuse Ukrainians, especially Zaluzhny, of not launching a unified attack in Zaporizhzhia after early war losses caused significant damage to Western tanks and equipment.

General Milly, who was then the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States, pointed out during his visits to Wiesbaden, Germany and the Ukrainian special forces to guide them in carrying out destructive warfare: "There should not be a Russian who sleeps in the middle of the night without worrying about his throat being cut.". Now it seems that this sentence is so ironic.

It can be said that on the Russian Ukrainian battlefield, the United States and Ukraine are blaming each other: the Americans criticize the Ukrainians for deviating from the original combat plan, while Ukrainian officials criticize the Americans for their inadequate command and assistance, failing to master attack drones and other key battlefield technologies, resulting in Ukraine losing its initiative on the battlefield.

What the United States never expected is that the Russia-Ukraine conflict is a huge "black hole": in addition to the sponsorship of other allies, the United States has provided more than 76 billion dollars in military aid to Ukraine, which has resulted in the huge decline of the Ukrainian army on the battlefield, and this bad situation has accelerated the erosion of the confidence of American politicians, and even exacerbated the internal struggle between the two parties in the United States.

In addition, not only is the White House running out of money now, but the 50 billion euros in aid promised by the European Union to Ukraine may also be cancelled. On the one hand, Germany is deeply embroiled in a budget crisis, and on the other hand, the far right Liberal Party of the Netherlands has won the parliamentary elections, which have been opposing aid to Ukraine. In such a situation, the Ukrainian military will find it difficult to sustain.

At this moment, the attitude of the Russian side also seems to reveal some signs of peace: on December 5th local time, Russian President's press secretary Peskov once again took the initiative to release a signal for peace talks. He emphasized that the Russian side hopes to solve the problem through political and diplomatic means.

Now it seems that since the Russian side has already taken the initiative on the battlefield and given Ukraine a step, Zelensky and the United States and Western forces behind him should also take advantage of the situation and take action.