With the Republicans almost inevitably taking control of theHouse of Representatives this November,and possibly the Senate, the United States' stance on Ukraine is likely to increase. Republicans will have much more influence over policy. However, the Republicans initially supported Kyiv, but have become increasingly isolationist since May.
I can't help but ask, ``What good is it to Republicans if they win the entire Congress and lose their (ideological) souls?''
In mid-May, the House passed 368-57 and the Senate 86-11,to give Ukraine $40 billion in lethal and humanitarian aid,approximately $9 billion , was simply to supplement US military equipment. As Javelin and Stinger previously sent to Ukraine. In other words, $9 billion in contracts with the traditionally Republican US defense industry, where national security is the ultimate beneficiary.
Republicans vote every day Not about a bill that 1) strengthens US security, 2) benefits the defense industry, and 3) undermines Russia. But all the "No" votes were from Republicans. Republican supporters outnumbered dissenters by 3 to 1, but it's worth answering for the growing Republican claim to Ukraine's aid.
Too expensive. After repeated attempts by the Biden administration to push a huge spending bill through Congress, questions about the price tag are commonplace. The $40 billion-plus false hype targeted is disingenuous.
Milton Bearden, who served as the CIA's Afghanistan bureau chief in the 1980s, estimated that it cost him $13 trillion to win the Cold War. According to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, spending $40 billion to make sure "Russia has weakened to the point where it can't do things like it did with the invasion of Ukraine" is exceptional. It's a cost savings and an investment in national security. Or, to quote Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, "Anyone concerned about the cost of helping Ukraine win should consider the far greater cost if Ukraine loses." 30}
Wall.If the president was a Republican he might be able to build a wall with Mexico, but now we can build a wall with Russia and the Germans will pay for it . It is Germany's lust for cheap energy via Nord Stream 2 that has triggered the Russian invasion, and Germany is likely to pay a significant portion of the bill as talks about post-Ukraine reconstruction begin. . Germany is a major financial powerhouse in the European Union and the EU plays a key role here.
Ukraine is corrupt.The Zelenskiy government seized power in his 2019 on a wave of change. The reason is that Ukrainians were fed up with the twisted regime of the past.Almost immediately, the regime took positive steps to clean up corruption. Member of Parliament.
There is still much work to be done, but Zelensky and his team are serious about transforming Ukrainian society towards transparency and free markets. Time will tell. Give the administration time while you make the next Republican congress a watchdog for Ukraine's corruption, not to tame Russia's rhetoric.
Biden is for — so I'm against. Opposing what a president proposes is an age-old Washington tradition, and Democrats are equally guilty under Republican presidents.Hunter Biden and Ukrainian gas company Burisma The sensational story about his work withhas nothing to do with this Ukrainian regime.
But there is ample and honest opportunity here to criticize the President. The president is a slow weapon to Ukraine meant to end the war faster and reduce Ukrainian deaths. The same Biden National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who wrote last summer’s Afghan debacle, is becoming the bottleneck in providing Ukraine with increasingly deadly weapons. You can make speeches, inquiries and hearings. The Republican soul lies at peace through strength, not cowardice or complacency against an evil empire.
The real question every Republican must ask is, "Which side of history do I want to be on?" We are on the side of Judeo-Christian nations fighting for survival simply because we want to be part of the West. Or sit on the sidelines of history while tyrannical regimes target civilians, systematically promote the rape of women, and attempt genocide across entire nations. In particular, some Republicans take the position that Ukraine should simply surrender and accept the peace imposed by the aggressors. Ronald Reagan never believed such nonsense and addressed such upsets in his 1964 "Time to Choose" speech.
What was true then is true today, and the invaders remain the same. Come January, Republicans will secure funding for US policy toward Ukraine. The question remains: Will the Republican Party keep or lose its soul?
Brian Mefford is Director of Wooden Horse Strategies, LLC, a government relations and strategic communications firm in Kyiv. He is a Senior Adjunct Fellow of the Atlantic Council and has lived and worked in Ukraine since 1999.