President Trump is strongly considering blocking $250 million in military aid to Ukraine, according to US officials familiar with the process. This is centered on whether the money would be justified by US interests.
This is part of a series of administration moves after failing to slash foreign aid spending earlier this year. The Ukraine aid is officially paused right now, pending review, and if Trump doesn’t authorize it by the end of September, the aid expires and is cancelled outright.
The Pentagon reportedly supports aid to the Ukraine because they view it as tantamount to fighting Russia. The Pentagon has, however, declined to specifically comment on the internal process.
That hasn’t stopped other Trump critics from trying to spin blocking the aid as a pro-Russian move. The US had previously avoided giving Ukraine lethal aid for fear of fueling a war, but in the past couple of years has started raising such aid deliveries, apparently to present as proof of hostility to Russia.
$250 million in aid, however, is not going to transform Ukraine’s struggling security forces into a rival for Russia, and if anything may threaten ceasefires in Eastern Ukraine, where Europe has tried to broker a peace process.
Would this have something to do with key political changes, such as Prime Minister and Defense minister?
We might stop jabbing ineffectually at the Russian bear with a sharp stick? Better late than never to stop giving advanced weapons to neo-nazis.
Good.
Good news, let’s cut off welfare for defense contractors. Because that’s all this is. Don’t they have enough money, already?
Never enough money. Never enough war. Oh the glory of Capitalism!
File this under the “believe it when I see it” category. Trump’s got a lot of files in there.
That would be a small but nice change in policy.
Likely they are not spending the money where the mic wants it spent.