Washington

- Washington plays one of the most important roles in the Ukraine war, which it began with warning of an "imminent invasion" over the months prior to the start of the fighting, leading to its leadership in the Western camp in imposing broad and harsh sanctions on Russia, while providing Kiev with the weapons, money and equipment it needs.

While US President Joe Biden vowed to prevent Russia from winning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said America "stands with Ukraine until victory is achieved."

"We want to see Russia weaken to the point where it will no longer be able to do any of what it did in the invasion of Ukraine," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

Many former American generals warn of the repercussions of not confronting Russia firmly, its impact on the conflict, and the greater threat to the United States represented by China.

In May, Congress approved by a large majority a military and financial aid package to Ukraine of more than $54 billion, and President Biden pledged to support Ukraine "as long as needed."

However, increasing voices warn that the enthusiasm of the Americans to support Ukraine is declining after 6 months have passed since the start of the Russian war on Ukraine, especially at a time when there is no prospect of a near end to the fighting.

Lloyd Austin (right) and Anthony Blinken make statements and the picture shows US aid to Ukraine (French)

Disagreement over support for Ukraine

So far, the Americans broadly support aid to Ukraine, despite the economic price they have to pay for it.

In an opinion poll conducted by the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at the University of Pennsylvania, 45% of Americans said that their country provides the appropriate amount of support to Ukraine, while 31% consider that their country provides Ukraine with too much support, and 25% believe that Washington does not provide enough support.

There is a discrepancy within these percentages according to party affiliation, as a majority of Democrats (56%) believe that the United States provides the appropriate amount of support for Ukraine, while 40% of independents and 34% of Republicans think the same.

On the other hand, 46% of Republicans and 42% of independents were more likely to believe that the United States was giving too much support to Ukraine, compared to only 11% of Democrats who were inclined to do so.

In another poll conducted by Fox News from July 10 to 13 and included interviews with 1,001 American voters, 69% said they were concerned about the Russian war in Ukraine, down from 82% in March. Last March, this indicates that the Americans were less concerned about the Russian attack, half a year after the start of the fighting.

A poll conducted by Harvard University and the Harris Foundation in late July of 1885 voters found that 53 percent of Americans believe that "America should send billions more military equipment to Ukraine if Russia continues its invasion and tries to annex more of its territory," while 47 said % that the United States "donated enough and should stop", 65% of Democrats, 44% of Republicans, and 49% of independents preferred sending more money and weapons.

All opinion polls indicate Americans' reluctance to push American forces into a dangerous situation that would involve them directly in the fighting, and only 20% approve of the deployment of American forces in Ukraine, while about 55 percent opposed the idea, and the rest did not know how to respond to the question.


Opposing voices

The official US support for the Ukrainians did not prevent the emergence of voices opposing the nature and cost of this role, and 11 senators from both parties voted against bills allowing aid to Ukraine, in addition to dozens of members of the House of Representatives.

Opposition to providing support to Ukraine is increasing among Republicans. The famous Fox News anchor, Tucker Carlson, repeats that the lobby of military industries and the lobby of contractors with the Pentagon is fueling the conflict with Russia so that their companies benefit financially from any war or escalation.

Carlson accuses "the remnants of the neo-conservatives who implicated the United States in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars" of pushing the Biden administration toward an unnecessary confrontation with Russia.

Pat Buchanan, a former Republican official and one of the symbols of the American isolationist movement, agrees with the argument that Washington should not be involved in any European conflict, and says, "There is now and has never been a vital American interest in Ukraine to justify the risk of war with Russia."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky receives US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in Kyiv (European)

The concern is justified by several factors

In a recent article, Senator Chris Coons, a Democratic senator, expressed his concern "about the commitment of the American people and their elected leaders to continue to support Ukraine as the war continues," and said, "Russian President Vladimir Putin is counting on the West losing focus and support."

Three factors will affect the future of US aid to Ukraine:

  • On top of that comes the results of the congressional elections and how the balance of power within it will change, and if the majority of one or both chambers goes to the Republicans, providing aid will not be as easy as the Congress is currently witnessing, given the reservations of many supporters of the right-wing movement in the Republican Party on providing this amount of aid to Ukraine.


    It is reported that former President Donald Trump denounced aid to Ukraine, saying that "the Democrats are sending another 40 billion dollars to Ukraine, yet some American families are struggling even to feed their children."

  • The second factor is the extent of the willingness of European countries to continue helping Ukraine. A large segment of Americans question the size of Europe's role in supporting a neighboring country, and they point to Ukraine's geographical distance from American lands and Washington's direct interests.

  • The third and most important factor has to do with the progress of Ukrainian forces on the battlefield. If the Biden administration can show that it is helping the Ukrainians win the war rather than getting embroiled in an “endless war,” it will be easier to continue to mobilize support for aid.