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Joe Biden (on January 5th)

Photo: Shawn Thew / EPA

Desperate efforts on the one hand, cynical blockade on the other: the dispute over further US financial aid for Ukraine in the fight against the Russian invasion is escalating. US President Joe Biden has now accused his predecessor, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, of undermining the passage of a billion-dollar aid package in the US Congress.

»Everything indicates that this bill will not even be voted on in the Senate. Why? For one simple reason: Donald Trump. Because Donald Trump thinks it’s bad for him politically,” Biden said in a short-term speech in Washington on Tuesday. "He would rather exploit this problem than actually solve it."

The release of new US aid to Ukraine is being blocked by a domestic political dispute between Democrats and Republicans in the US Parliament. Among other things, Republicans have expressed doubts about support for Ukraine or reject it completely. They also demand significantly more resources to secure the US border.

Trump himself is orchestrating the alleged threat at the border for his election campaign. At the same time, however, he is doing everything he can to prevent the situation in the south of the country from improving (you can find a detailed analysis of Trump's cynical border game here).

Illegal immigration to the US is one of the dominant issues in the presidential election campaign. A legislative success for Biden could mean a disadvantage for Trump. Everything currently points to a new duel between Biden and Trump.

On Sunday, US senators presented a proposal for a $118 billion aid package. This includes military aid worth billions for Ukraine and Israel as well as funds for border protection. Most recently, the Democratic majority leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, said that the package was bipartisan and developed through good cooperation.

However, there is a complete blockade by the Republicans in the House of Representatives. The Republican leadership there under Mike Johnson said: “Any consideration of this bill in its current form is a waste of time. He is dead when he arrives at the House of Representatives. We encourage the US Senate to reject him." Johnson is considered a staunch supporter of former President Trump.

Biden wants to inform voters about Trump's blockade

Biden attributed this negative attitude to Trump's efforts to torpedo the proposed law. In the past 24 hours, he "has done nothing other than threaten Republicans in the House of Representatives and the Senate so that they will vote against this proposal," the president said on Tuesday.

Republicans have said for years that they want to secure the border, the president continued. "Now they have the strongest border law this country has ever seen." The party must decide who it serves, said Biden: "Donald Trump or the American people?" Biden said he would do everything to inform voters about the To inform Trump's blockade.

Biden further emphasized that Ukraine is dependent on help from the USA. "The clock ticks every week, every month that passes without new help." This plays into the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine has been fending off a Russian war of aggression since February 2022 and continues to need foreign support for this. According to the government, the funds previously approved for the country by the US Congress have largely been used up. “The world is watching,” said Biden. "We cannot continue this petty party politics and avoid responsibility."

Chancellor Olaf Scholz is traveling to Washington on Thursday and will meet Biden there on Friday. According to the White House, this will also be about the war in Ukraine. The Chancellor, for his part, urged EU partners to provide more military aid to the attacked country at a summit in Brussels last week. The appeal was aimed primarily at economically strong countries such as Italy, Spain and France.

jok/dpa