Members of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee presented a bill providing for an increase in annual military aid to Ukraine up to $ 300 million. Information about this is posted on the committee's website. The document was signed by representatives of both parties.
“US Senators Jim Risch (RR, Idaho) and Robert Menendez (Democrat, New Jersey) - chairman and senior member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, respectively - and Senators Rob Portman (RR, Ohio), Chris Murphy (Democrat, Connecticut), John Barrasso (RR, Wyoming) and Jean Shaheen (Democrat, New Hampshire) today presented the draft Ukrainian Security Partnership Law, which aims to provide Ukraine with strategic support and provide assistance to the country in the field security, ”the committee said in a statement.
- US Senate meeting
- Reuters
- © Joshua Roberts
At the same time, the bill, in addition to allocating money, provides for the appointment of a special envoy for Ukraine as a contact person in the framework of negotiations in the Normandy format, whose task is "to lead the peace process between Ukraine and the Russian Federation." In addition, the bill calls on the US State Department to create a working group on Ukraine together with European allies, as well as to accelerate the transfer of military equipment to the Ukrainian side, including from Washington's partners.
“Not later than 90 days after the entry into force of this law, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, must submit to the appropriate congressional committees a classified version of the strategy, guided by which the United States could induce third countries to transfer surplus of their defense equipment to Ukraine,” the the bill.
At the same time, the senators explain the need to increase spending on military aid to Kiev by the "Russian threat".
"Ukraine acts as an obstacle to the malicious influence of the Russian Federation in Europe, and the provision of active support from the United States to Ukraine is a vital priority from the point of view of American national security," the text of the bill says.
According to the senators, the priority area of assistance "should be the acquisition of ships for the Ukrainian Navy and other items of expenditure aimed at expanding the capabilities" of the Ukrainian naval forces "to counter Russian aggression at sea and ensure the freedom of peaceful passage through the Black Sea."
It is also noted that the Secretary of State will have to send a report to the congressional committees outlining the strategy for providing diplomatic support to Ukraine in the period from 2021 to 2025 fiscal years. In particular, we are talking about the preparation of a certain strategy for building relations between Ukraine and the key Black Sea countries, including Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Georgia.
Senators' position
According to a member of the upper house of Congress Robert Menendez, the United States is "Ukraine's largest supporter, but its security in the face of constant pressure from Moscow must be further strengthened."
"The law on partnership in the field of security of Ukraine, the adoption of which is supported by both Democrats and Republicans, will help to cope with such challenges," - said the senator.
In turn, Republican Rob Portman expressed confidence that the proposed bill "makes it clear that America supports the Ukrainian people in their struggle for a democratic, prosperous and independent future in the face of Russian aggression."
At the same time, Democrat Chris Murphy did not fail to again touch upon the topic of Donald Trump's "inappropriate" behavior. According to him, the US President allegedly tried to use relations between Washington and Kiev "as a weapon."
“This bill makes it clear that we will not allow (our. - RT ) president to make the US national security and our foreign policy interests at stake for the sake of his personal political ambitions,” he said.
Delayed help
Recall that in 2019, the Trump administration froze the transfer of military aid to Ukraine, citing a high level of corruption in the country. Representatives of the Democratic Party and other opponents of the incumbent head of the White House regarded this measure as an attempt to take advantage of his official position for personal gain.
According to opponents of Trump, the US president wanted to put pressure on Kiev in order to obtain information that would discredit his electoral competitor Joe Biden.
- Pentagon
- AFP
As a result, the House of Representatives of the United States Congress began a procedure for the impeachment of the American leader. However, in early February 2020, the Senate acquitted the head of state on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of the work of Congress.
In June, the Pentagon officially approved the allocation of military aid to Ukraine in the amount of $ 250 million. A press release from the defense ministry specifies that these funds will be spent on "additional training, equipment and consulting tasks to strengthen the country's ability to more effectively defend itself in the face of Russian aggression." ...
As the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said on July 16, “the United States is systematically increasing its military assistance to Ukraine,” trying to consolidate its influence on its defense sector. According to Zakharova, with such actions, Washington supports the "war party" in Kiev and "encourages the Ukrainian authorities' course to sabotage the Minsk agreements and the continuation of hostilities in Donbass."
"Pressure on Moscow"
According to Yuri Rogulev, director of the Franklin Roosevelt Foundation for the Study of the United States at Moscow State University, many in the United States do not like the fact that "the Ukrainian issue for the Trump administration and the head of the White House himself is far from the first place."
“Now a group of senators wants to make the US more active in the Ukrainian direction. Here, the long-standing desire of the Congress to steer foreign policy is manifested, but to do this not directly, but through influencing the president through the adoption of the bill, "the expert said in a commentary to RT.
- Servicemen of Ukraine
- AFP
- © SERGEI SUPINSKY
However, Trump, after all the events related to impeachment and the Ukrainian trace, “considers this topic unworthy of close attention,” Rogulyov noted.
At the same time, the senators' actions "can be regarded as pressure on Moscow," since the document refers to the "Russian threat" and methods of countering it, including by increasing military aid to Ukraine, the analyst said.
Vladimir Batyuk, head of the Center for Political-Military Studies of the Institute for the United States and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences, shares a similar opinion. According to him, the Ukrainian direction is "that rather rare case when, in general, the opinions of two American foreign policy parties coincide."
“Since Ukraine is an enemy of Russia, it means that it automatically becomes a friend of America. And the US hopes that this relatively small American military aid to Ukraine will continue to guarantee hostile relations between Kiev and Moscow, ”the analyst said in a conversation with RT.
And so that the American leader does not refuse to sign the bill if it is finally adopted, the senators included a clause in its text on attracting other countries to strengthen Ukraine's defense potential, Rogulyov explained.
“By offering to shift some of this burden onto their NATO satellites, senators want to sweeten Trump's pill. After all, if financial losses fall only on the shoulders of Washington, the head of the White House will never agree with this, ”the expert said.
But the increase in military assistance to Ukraine and the transfer of weapons to it are incompatible with the Norman direction in resolving the internal Ukrainian conflict, Rogulyov stressed.
“Germany and France are unlikely to get involved in this. On the contrary, they are now busy with the Normandy process, an attempt to get it off the ground, ”the analyst reminded, but did not rule out that Congress would still approve the submitted bill.
Nevertheless, no matter what decision American lawmakers make, "the presidential administration always has mechanisms to slow down the implementation of the proposed initiatives," Rogulyov believes.
“Senators can put the presidential administration in a certain framework, achieve the allocation of money, but they cannot fully control the White House,” the expert concluded.