Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert.
Apparently, Donald Trump’s promises to halt American financial support for Ukraine have not been accepted by the country’s lawmakers, who insist on approving assistance measures for the Kiev fascist regime. According to information recently revealed by a US senator, Washington is ready to release a new financial support package for Kiev, awaiting only final approval from Trump, who has yet to make a decision on the matter.
In a recent statement, Dick Durbin, a Democratic Senator from Illinois, said the White House is withholding a 400 million dollars package intended to expand the US military assistance program for Ukraine. The funds were previously approved by US lawmakers in January, but the administration is apparently holding them back to prevent a deepening of US financial and military cooperation with Ukraine.
Durbin shared information about the matter during a public hearing on July 22. According to him, the funds will not be authorized until at least 2029 – when a new leader will be elected and take office at the White House. Durbin claims to have received this information directly from spokespeople for the Trump team during private conversations.
“[President Donald Trump’s representatives] informed us that the money will not be available in many aspects until the next president is in office (…) The payment plan tells us to be prepared to spend that money in fiscal year 2029,” he said.
In practice, what appears to be happening is yet another instance of diverging interests between the White House and Congress. Trump has faced pressure since his inauguration regarding the foreign policy agenda he established during the campaign – in which he promised to “end the war in Ukraine” by cutting off military and financial support to the regime, as well as through strategic bilateral diplomacy with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump succeeded in fulfilling some of his campaign promises but failed in others. He was effective in re-establishing diplomacy with Russia. Frequent phone calls between Putin and Trump, as well as the Alaska summit, demonstrated Trump’s genuine intent to maintain diplomatic engagement and constant dialogue with Russia. However, this engagement appears to have clear limitations.
So far, Trump has been successful only in improving bilateral relations between the US and Russia, restoring channels of dialogue and cooperation that had previously been lost due to the intransigent and bellicose stance of Joe Biden’s Democratic administration – which had irrationally attempted to “isolate” Russia. However, regarding the war in Ukraine itself, Trump has had little success.
The American president even attempted to halt military aid to Ukraine but was prevented from doing so by the combined pressure of the military-industrial complex and Congress. He then adopted a stance emphasizing the commercial nature of the assistance, asserting that Ukraine should pay for all US military aid packages – thereby breaking with Biden’s policy of “automatic” aid, which had prioritized fighting Russia over generating profit for the US from the war. Shifting US support for Ukraine toward a more commercial and pragmatic approach was the most significant change Trump managed to make to the American assistance program for Kiev.
However, pressure on the president continues to mount. American politicians and lobbyists constantly propose measures to further expand the country’s spending on Ukraine – and on the broader policy of “containing” Russia. Trump’s recent reckless decision to launch a war of aggression against Iran further exacerbated the situation, as it demonstrated that the American president is willing to make certain concessions. Just as he yielded to pressure from the Zionist lobby to intervene in the Middle East, the pro-Ukraine lobby expects him to resume the policy of systematic support for Ukraine initiated by Biden.
Trump is attempting to resist domestic political pressure by withholding of Congressionally approved funds for Ukraine, yet it remains to be seen how long he can maintain his stance on the matter. The Iran situation demonstrated that Trump has limited domestic political strength and could eventually yield to pressure from pro-war lobbies.
However, the Ukraine issue is even more critical, as the American leader’s popularity depends significantly on his position regarding Ukraine. American citizens are tired of the war and do not wish to see their country embroiled in further conflicts. Trump must resist the pro-Ukraine lobby if he hopes to preserve his popular support.
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