FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
"If the United States were to withdraw from aid to Ukraine, this would encourage other countries to do the same, as well as divide the NATO alliance," the general told Radio Free Europe. retired US Army Stephen Twitty. According to him, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, is counting on exactly this scenario. Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the US has provided more than $60 billion in aid to the war-torn country — $43 billion of that in military aid. This week, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, announced another aid package for Kiev, which includes munitions and missiles and amounts to 250 million dollars.
The figures make the US the largest contributor to Ukraine in terms of money spent. But 18 months after the Russian invasion began, some Americans doubt the aid is worth the cost. Last week, the eight Republicans vying for their party's presidential nomination clashed heavily over the issue. Among them were those who said that, if they won the 2024 presidential elections, they would make US aid to Ukraine conditional on increased aid from Europe. "Europe must rise. I'm going to make Europe stand up and do its job," said Ron DeSantis, Florida's governor. After the USA, the institutions of the European Union are the biggest donors in Ukraine. They are followed by the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Poland, France and so on.
DeSantis' challenger, Vivek Ramaswamy, went even further, saying he would not support increased funding for Ukraine. "It's a disaster," said the businessman with no experience in public office. "We're defending ourselves against an invasion across someone else's border, when those military resources we should be using to prevent ... an invasion of our southern border, here in the U.S.," Ramaswamy said, referring to the border with Mexico, from which flows large numbers of migrants have entered the US. Several other candidates, including former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, criticized these positions, defending continued US support for Kiev .
Candidate Donald Trump, who is leading in opinion polls, did not participate in the debate, but in an interview published on the X platform, he said that Russia would never invade Ukraine if he were president. Trump, who served as US president from 2017 to 2021, did not provide any evidence for these claims. According to a poll published by the television network, CNN, last month, 45 percent of Americans support the way the current president, Joe Biden, who will run for re-election, has handled the situation in Ukraine.
However, according to the same poll, a majority of Americans, 55%, disapprove of Congress authorizing additional funds for Ukraine. Whereas, 45 percent say that Congress should authorize such funds. This survey was conducted from July 1 to 31, with a sample of 1,279 adults. By comparison, a poll conducted in the early days of the Russian invasion in late February 2022 found that 62% of Americans thought the US should have done more. Retired US general Stefphen Twitty says it is difficult to determine whether US aid to Ukraine will continue at the same intensity, given the uncertainty of the US election. "I hope that the US and our NATO allies will continue to support Ukraine. It is important to look at the bigger picture,
Ben Hodges, former commander of the US military in Europe, says that Biden should try harder to explain to his citizens why "success in Ukraine is in the interest of America and its allies". "Otherwise, strong bipartisan support [for Ukraine] could start to fade next year," he says. "Americans will focus on the election, while the president's political opponents may find opportunities to criticize his policies." Hodges says that's what the Kremlin is hoping for: weakening or diminishing US and Western support for Ukraine.
Russian officials have repeatedly criticized Western military aid, saying it makes them complicit in the conflict in Ukraine. Mark Cancian, a retired US Marine colonel, says that “without US participation, global support for Ukraine would sink. And, without external help, Ukraine would not be able to continue the war". According to him, the possible withdrawal of aid is likely to be accompanied by the request for a negotiated solution to the conflict. "This implies a cease-fire, which would give Russia a partial victory," says Cancian.
Aleatët perëndimorë vazhdimisht zotohen se do ta ndihmojnë Ukrainën “për aq kohë sa duhet”, por shpesh nuk specifikojnë se sa duhet për të bërë çfarë?! Sekretari i përgjithshëm i NATO-s, Jens Stoltenberg, ka thënë se “për aq kohë sa duhet”, nënkupton mbështetje për qëllimet e vendosura nga presidenti i Ukrainës, Volodymyr Zelensky, dhe populli ukrainas, e ato përfshijnë: rikthimin e territoreve të pushtuara nga Rusia – mes tyre edhe Krimenë – dhe dëbimin e forcave ruse nga toka e Ukrainës.
For General Hodges, the phrase "as long as necessary" is "empty". According to him, it is used by many leaders to avoid what should be said, that "we want Ukraine to win". "We cannot know what would happen if Putin prevailed in Ukraine, but the barbarism he has already used is a valid indicator," the Washington Post wrote in an opinion piece published in July. "...The West must provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs to survive... It is the duty of the civilized world to stop another horror," according to the American newspaper.
Lini një Përgjigje