Most Republicans in the US Congress understand the need to accept aid to Ukraine, although Congress has been unable to reconcile all the disputes for several weeks in order to agree on a support package requested by US President Joe Biden.
VoA journalists spoke with American legislators from both parties to find out the mood in the United States Parliament.
So, on Wednesday, the Senate of Congress again failed to pass the bill due to the actions of Republicans who voted against it.
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The main reason for the slow activity of American legislators is the dispute between Republicans and Democrats.
The Republican Party wants to include a provision to secure the US's southern border in the Ukraine relief bill, while the US Democratic Party opposes Republican proposals to change asylum rules at the US border and argue that the White House request should be considered together as part of a broader national security strategy .
Biden's Ukraine aid request is part of a larger $106 billion supplemental request that includes military aid to Israel and Indo-Pacific partners, as well as Democratic border security funding measures.
What do they think in Congress?
There are concerns about whether Congress will even be able to pass a bill that includes aid for Ukraine, according to Pennsylvania Democratic Congressman Brendan Boyle.
But Republican Senator Jim Risch, ranking member of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, is confident that aid will come to Ukraine, but the administration must take more seriously the issue of the US southern border, which Republicans are linking to the vote on aid to Ukraine.
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As analysts note, a significant portion of Republican members of Congress understand the need to continue to support Ukraine, but are afraid that voting for a bill that contains aid to Ukraine will cost them defeat in the internal party elections.
Brendan Boyle says that in the House of Representatives, where he estimates two-thirds support aid to Ukraine, House Speaker Mike Johnson may not bring the bill to a vote.
— If you're a Republican Speaker, you're obviously going to be very concerned that if you bring up a bill that includes any kind of aid to Ukraine, it could be used against you as part of a domestic coup, which is what we've seen in the last couple of months, & #8212; Boyle said during a discussion at the Aspen Security Forum in Washington on Thursday, December 7.
Answering a question from the forum host about what role Ukrainian victories on the battlefield play in supporting Ukraine in Washington, Boyle replied that it is not about the battlefield, but about the party struggle.
— I think that those of us who are absolutely committed to this, we will be committed, no matter what happens on the battlefields, no matter whether the counteroffensive objectives have been accomplished or not. Regarding Republican support — it's not about what happens on the battlefield. This is about what is happening within the party, — Boyle is convinced.
What are the moods among Republicans?
According to Boyle, there are three currents in the Republican Party. The first, which is just over half, — those who are committed to the traditional principles of the active foreign policy of the Republican Party and are not afraid to express their position.
— Mitch McConnell is a perfect example of this traditional Republican foreign policy from Eisenhower to Reagan to both Bushes — America's national defense with muscles, which is proud to be in NATO, proud of the transatlantic alliance, which opposed first the Soviet, and now — Russian aggression, — says Boyle.
On the other hand — isolationists such as Marjorie Taylor Greene who actively oppose support for Ukraine. And although they are an absolute minority, Boyle says, they are the most heard and their influence is growing.
The third group, which Boyle believes includes Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, are those Republicans who share the same principles as and the first group, but they are afraid that supporting Ukraine may cost them defeat in the next internal party elections.
— In particular, one House Republican told me about a rather painful meeting with constituents, — and he's in a very Republican district — during which he was constantly criticized for supporting Ukraine, — Boyle gave an example.
It is on the decision of representatives of this group, he says, that further support for Ukraine depends.
According to Brendan Boyle, the attitude of Republican voters towards Ukraine is less influenced by isolationist sentiments, which are always present in American society in one way or another, and more — anti-Ukrainian statements by the 45th US President Donald Trump, presenter Tucker Carlson and others.
— The biggest challenge today is that former President Donald Trump and some right-wing media in the US are pressuring Republicans in Congress to vote against funding for Ukraine. This is what causes the biggest delay, — Boyle said in an interview with Voice of America after the discussion.
In turn, regarding Tucker Carlson, he says that he is just one of those who applies pressure.
— There are others on Fox News and similar media that are putting a lot of pressure on Republicans in Congress. And they are afraid of losing the next internal party elections because of these loud right-wing voices that are openly campaigning against Ukraine, — Boyle notes.
According to him, visits of both Ukrainian officials and deputies and leaders of other states to support Ukraine, such as David Cameron, do not harm, but also have little effect on this situation.
— There is little anyone outside the US can do to convince my colleagues to do the right thing. I think that only members of Congress can cope with this challenge themselves, — Boyle said.
Republican Senator Jim Risch, the ranking member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee who has consistently supported Ukraine, like other Senate Republicans, voted against considering a bill that would support Ukraine.
He explains this by saying that the Republicans are trying to prove the seriousness of their intentions to secure the southern border.
— This was a strictly party-line vote on the national security package we must pass. We'll accept it. We needed to convince our colleagues from the other party that we were very serious. We Republicans take closing our southern border very seriously. We have about 10,000 illegal immigrants a day crossing into the United States, and we need to protect our border first — Rish answered a question from journalists.
In explaining the tying of aid to Ukraine, the need for which is urgent and critical, to border-crossing issues that could drag on for weeks and months, Risch said he did not think it would delay the decision-making process .
— The weeks and months you are talking about — behind us, not in front of us. We've been talking about this not only for weeks and months, but for years, and it's time to take it seriously, — he said.
Do the US understand the consequences of such a policy?
US Deputy National Security Advisor John Feiner, who also took part in the Aspen Security Forum, noted that President Joe Biden is open to negotiations on border issues and made proposals to attract additional resources for the border, but the head of the White House will not succumb to the “ultimatums of the radical part” Republican Party.
Congressman Boyle believes that if the United States refuses to support Ukraine, it will also undermine the support of Kyiv by its NATO allies.
— I think the consequences are even hard to imagine. I truly believe that if Vladimir Putin can succeed in Ukraine, he will take credit for the victory and move on. He is already interfering in the democracies of many NATO countries, — he said during the speech.
At the same time, the congressman said, there is no need to fall into despair. In his experience of difficult negotiations in Congress, when it seemed impossible to achieve success, a breakthrough occurred.
