An advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told POLITICO on Tuesday that Kyiv is worried that some members of the Biden administration might use Congress as an excuse to start winding down military aid and push for Ukraine to pursue more realistic war goals.
“I think both on Capitol Hill and in the administration, there are people who are looking to calibrate security assistance to incentivize the Ukrainians to cut some sort of deal, I’m afraid,” the unnamed advisor said.
Two Ukrainian officials also confirmed to POLITICO a report that said CIA Director William Burns told Zelensky during a visit to Kyiv in January that the next few months on the battlefield will be pivotal as military aid might be harder to come by.
The officials also said that Burns floated the idea of a ceasefire in Ukraine when he met with Russia’s spy chief, Sergey Naryshkin, in Ankara last November. But they didn’t offer any detail of what the ceasefire Burns discussed might look like.
The Zelensky advisor said concerns about US support still existed despite President Biden’s Monday visit to Kyiv, where he promised to back Ukraine for “as long as it takes” and announced nearly $500 million in new military aid.
The US is currently spending the $45 billion aid package that Congress approved in December as part of a massive omnibus spending bill. That aid is expected to last until the summer, and other reports have said the administration has conveyed to Ukraine that Congress might not approve aid packages at a similar level.
The administration cites Republican opposition for its concerns, but GOP leadership in Congress is still overwhelmingly in favor of arming Ukraine and is criticizing Biden for not sending more advanced weapons. And with Democratic opposition to the police non-existent, it seems likely that more massive aid packages for Ukraine could be passed.
“I think both on Capitol Hill and in the administration, there are people who are looking to calibrate security assistance to incentivize the Ukrainians to cut some sort of deal, I’m afraid,” the unnamed advisor said. — if only.
I do not trust this government. At all.
and all the governments before and still to come.
Indeed. More likely, these news releases are meant to scare the Uke supporters into “faster, more” weapons provision, because, you know, time is short …
As long as they provide the young victims to do the dying they will keep paying.
I wish this was true. Knowing Biden however, his war budget is literally infinite. And not like Congress will stop him. Our hawks in Congress will probably ask him to increase the infinite defense budget he propose again.
“Unnamed advisor’. War is built on lies, so I believe very little.
In this case the only realistic war goal is a massively improved stability for the area. The notion that NATO plus Ukraine can impose that improved stability by fighting with arms supplied by NATO and making Ukraine a NATO member is a sick, costly dream.
The only rational way is to stop the fighting immediately, stop providing both sides with more weaponry, realize that both Ukraine and Russia have national interests which must both be considered fairly, then sit down and negotiate.
This situation is not very different from Germany vs. France between WW1 and WW2 which suggests to me that Ukraine and Russia ought to become economic partners. To strengthen Ukraine’s position in such a partnership, several East-European countries might become members of two economic blocs: EU and WAU (West-Asian Union). Poland, Finland, the Baltic States. Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey. That would then also solve the power struggle in the Black Sea.
Might that happen? No, because our current government will not allow it. It is just as block-headed as those of France and the UK between WW1 and WW2. Their objective was to destroy Germany economically. See the analogy?
With the election coming up I doubt that Biden can, hence will make that 180 degree turn.
I would question whether at this point Biden is in charge of anything beyond tying his shoes.
Probably has slip-ons. The shoe tying was confusing him.
You made me laugh out loud. 🙂
How can he see them what with his aviator sunglasses.
lol
Or blowing his nose.
Oh wait, he needs an instruction manual for that.
That time came and went. Twice. Biden could have been a hero, a statesman, in December, 2021, had he been willing to negotiate. Same for the opportunity in April, 2022, scuttled by Boris, more than likely with the approval of the Biden administration.
So true, now the train has left the station.
Yep, V, he left the barn door open and that horse is gone like a freight train.
Biden could have been a hero in December 2021, but he was afraid the Neocons would brand him as another Neville Chamberlain.
To destroy Germany is still the Anglo-American objective. As long as NATO pays it is a lucrative business and the Zelensky people WILL SACRIFICE THEIR YOUNG PEOPLE to pad their bank accounts.
And Russia; don’t forget “the Great Game”
Yes, what a nightmare.
The propaganda is just too strong. And the public is just too dumb. We *only* understand the (already massively dumbed down) WW2 narrative: Hitler has been reborn in the east, and his army of orcs is looking to bring eternal darkness to the world.
Any attempt at empathy or a deeper understanding of Russia’s motives just makes one an orc. Any pointing out that a final victory will be the phyrric end of all of us is ignored.
Since the USA was chosen by God (even our atheistic liberals have fully accepted this) to protect the light, we must defeat Hitler/Putin/Sauron/Thanos, even to the point of apocalypse, which we KNOW won’t happen, because God will protect us. Almost all Americans are blithely shuffling towards multiple apocalypses, more concerned about what slant on history is being taught in elementary school. Our fucking kids won’t have clean water, IF we didn’t nuke them in their cribs, but we’re SO SURE that bad stuff doesn’t happen to us that we’re fighting over drag queens. It’s ridiculous.
Ukraine worried that actual democracy might interfere with starting World War 3.
“Ukraine worried that actual democracy might interfere with starting World War 3.
‘Representatives’? Might we inquire as to the names of these ‘representatives’?
Oh they’re representing. Just not their constituents. They’re representing Raytheon and Boeing and Lockheed-Martin…
The only “excuse” would be China.
How deranged Biden is, only a deranged man would promise to back a war of another nation, (PROXYin this case) for as long as it takes knowing full well that it is a bottomless pit with a an army of corrupt officials who never get enough to fill all the open and overflowing wallets. But the criminals don’t vouch for their promises anyway.
Ukraine is losing, and the US media is lying about that. Hence, the proposals “make no sense.”
Ceasefire? What the US wants is to halt the Russian offensive. Get them to stop on their own, since we can’t stop them.
Meanwhile, the US wants time to increase the arms and training in Ukraine, for a resumption of fighting when Ukraine might do better.
Everything in any “deal” suggested was available without war, it was the offer the US refused to discuss in November-February. The US never wanted that, it wanted regime change in Russia.
How would a deal now work out as part of a longer term attack on Putin/regime change? Would a deal undermine Putin’s present domestic coalition?
Politicians know that there are two sorts of people: those you tell lies; and those you don’t, corresponding to “the Impotent” and “the Potent”. We, alas, are in the first category, … along with Sholtz, Macron, Sunak, van der Leyen, Borrel, … and, most deliciously, Zelensky. Putin & Lavrov are the other thing. Bill Burns and Vlad Putin give each other the respect to go shoulder to shoulder. Z & Co. see that they better be ready to jump.
For the impotent the oligarchs only provided deranged and well paid for candidates to vote for. How else could all NATO members with few exceptions end up with all the scumbags. Blinken and Baerbock could it be worse than that? They were appointed by the deranged elected officials. Not to mention the Kagan clan and friends.
A possible ceasefire?!
Well, wouldn’t that be a damned shame.
“Ukraine Worries the Biden Administration Might Use Congress as an Excuse to Wind Down Aid CIA Director William Burns told Zelensky in January that aid might be harder to come by in the future”
When pouring gasoline on a fire is stopped the fire dies for lack of fuel.
Imagine that!
Can anyone in Washington explain to the American people what the plan is to recoup this ‘investment in the future’ via the Ukraine? Surely our Congress and financial institutions wouldn’t give the American taxpayer’s dollars away without any sort of profit returning to us, right? RIGHT?