Issue of aid to Ukraine divided US Republican Party - NYT
Former President of the US Donald Trump (photo: Getty Images)
The vote by the House of Representatives on Saturday to provide American aid to Ukraine for $61 billion has become the most vivid evidence that at least in foreign policy, the Republican Party does not fully support former President Donald Trump, reports The New York Times.
Most Republicans - 112 to 101 - voted against the aid. The publication notes that Trump softened his opposition to aid to Ukraine in recent days. He also kept silent on the day of the vote, refusing to pressure Republicans.
At the same time, his loudest allies in the House of Representatives, such as Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz, led attempts to block aid. Another supporter of the former president, Lauren Boebert, mocked Democrats during the vote as they waved Ukrainian flags. Even Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., joined in criticizing Speaker Mike Johnson.
The former president tried to sit on two chairs before the vote. On social media, he wrote that the "survival and strength of Ukraine" are important to the US, but asked, "Why isn’t Europe giving more money to help Ukraine? Why is it that the US is over $100 Billion Dollars into the Ukraine War more than Europe, and we have an Ocean between us as separation!"
Other Republicans who supported aid to Ukraine, such as Congressman Larry Bucshon, cited Republican President Ronald Reagan to justify their position.
"Helping Ukraine win its fight against Russia is squarely in the best interest of the American people and our national security. Vladimir Putin’s ambition doesn’t stop in Ukraine," said Bucshon.
But Trump sympathizers showed how far they are willing to go with their opposition, the publication notes. 21 of them voted against military aid to Israel.
Republican Scott Perry, leader of the radical right-wing Freedom Caucus, said he voted against the aid package to Israel because it included humanitarian aid to Gaza.
"Giving $9 Billion to Hamas terrorists does not support Israel," he wrote on social media.
However, undoubtedly, the provision of the bill for providing aid to Ukraine without any conditions is a defeat for Trump, American journalists summarize. After all, in recent days, he has advocated for any assistance only in the form of a loan, not just a gift, but in vain.
Trump's position on Ukraine
Trump, against whom the first criminal process in US history against a former president is now starting, has repeatedly stated that if he were in office, Russia would not have succeeded in a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Washington Post, citing sources, reported that in a recent private conversation, the former president expressed readiness to end the war, pressing Kyiv to give up certain territory to Russia.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy characterized Trump's plan as a very primitive idea.
About a week ago, Trump hinted that he would support continuing funding for aid to Ukraine, but not as a gift, but in the form of a loan.
