Anne Applebaum: is Congress really going to abandon Ukraine now?

In a column for The Atlantic, the American-British journalist and author Anne Applebaum emphasizes that most Americans, both ordinary citizens and legislators, continue to support Ukraine. However, a small minority within the Republican Party may now succeed in cutting aid to Kyiv.

“The looming end of American aid to Ukraine is not a policy decision. For two years, the Biden administration successfully led an international coalition to provide not soldiers but rather military aid to Ukraine. Officials convened regular meetings, consulted with allies, pulled in military support from around the world. Majorities in the U.S. continue to support Ukraine. Majorities in both houses of Congress do too. The Senate is said to have its legislation almost ready to go. But now, for reasons that outsiders find impossible to understand, a minority of Republican members of Congress, in a fit of political pique, are preparing to cut it all off. They might succeed,” Anne Applebaum writes.

By forsaking Ukraine due to political incompetence, Americans will ultimately approve of the loss of more Ukrainian lives and the continued devastation of the nation. “We will convince millions of Europeans that we are untrustworthy. We will send a message to Russia and China too, reinforcing their frequently stated belief that the US is a degenerate, dying power. Less than a year ago, when Biden made his surprise trip to Kyiv, the US projected confidence and unity as the leader of a functional alliance. Now, suddenly, we don’t,” the journalist said. 

Applebaum argues that elected lawmakers don’t often have numerous chances to truly impact the world. “But right now, the actions of just a few congressional Republicans could help stop a series of bad decisions from morphing into a worse one. This is their chance to make America serious again. Do they have the courage to take it?” concludes Anne Applebaum.

Read the full text of the column by following the link.