A Republican opponent of new U.S. funding for Ukraine argued at an international security conference Sunday that the package stuck in Congress wouldn’t “fundamentally change the reality” on the ground and that Russia has an incentive to negotiate peace. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and others have advocated passage of the $60 billion in aid at the Munich Security Conference, which coincided with Ukraine withdrawing troops from the eastern city of Avdiivka after months of intense combat. But Sen. JD Vance, an Ohio Republican and ally of Donald Trump, said “the problem in Ukraine … is that there’s no clear end point” and that the U.S. doesn’t make enough weapons to support wars in eastern Europe, the Middle East and “potentially a contingency in East Asia.”
Quick Read
- GOP Skepticism on Ukraine Aid: Senator JD Vance, a Republican and supporter of Donald Trump, expressed doubts at an international security conference about the effectiveness of new U.S. funding for Ukraine, arguing it wouldn’t alter the situation on the battlefield significantly.
- Debate at Munich Security Conference: Amid discussions at the Munich Security Conference, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris advocated for the passage of a $60 billion aid package for Ukraine, which is currently stalled in Congress.
- Concerns Over Endgame in Ukraine: Vance highlighted the absence of a clear resolution in Ukraine and pointed out the limitations of the U.S. in sustaining long-term weapon support due to manufacturing constraints.
- House Speaker’s Stance: Mike Johnson, the House Speaker, remains hesitant to rush the approval of the $95.3 billion foreign aid package that includes assistance for Ukraine, despite substantial bipartisan support.
- Vance’s Call for Negotiated Peace: Vance suggested that a negotiated peace is a realistic goal, considering the incentives for Russia, Ukraine, Europe, and the U.S. to seek an end to the two-year conflict.
- Counterargument for Continued Support: Ricarda Lang, a leader of Germany’s Greens party, countered Vance’s viewpoint by stating that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not shown a willingness for peace, and halting support for Ukraine could either prolong the war or lead to a Russian victory.
- Implications of a Russian Victory: Lang warned that a win for Putin could set a dangerous precedent, encouraging other powers like China to disregard international borders, leading to a less secure and less free world.
The Associated Press has the story:
GOP opponent of US aid to Ukraine brings his case to Munich Security Conference
Newslooks- MUNICH (AP) —
A Republican opponent of new U.S. funding for Ukraine argued at an international security conference Sunday that the package stuck in Congress wouldn’t “fundamentally change the reality” on the ground and that Russia has an incentive to negotiate peace.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and others have advocated passage of the $60 billion in aid at the Munich Security Conference, which coincided with Ukraine withdrawing troops from the eastern city of Avdiivka after months of intense combat.
But Sen. JD Vance, an Ohio Republican and ally of Donald Trump, said “the problem in Ukraine … is that there’s no clear end point” and that the U.S. doesn’t make enough weapons to support wars in eastern Europe, the Middle East and “potentially a contingency in East Asia.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson insists he won’t be “rushed” into approving the $95.3 billion foreign aid package from the Senate that includes the help for Ukraine, despite overwhelming support from most Democrats and almost half the Republicans.
If the package goes through, “that is not going to fundamentally change the reality on the battlefield,” Vance argued, pointing to limited American manufacturing capacity.
“Can we send the level of weaponry we’ve sent for the last 18 months?” he asked. “We simply cannot. No matter how many checks the U.S. Congress writes, we are limited there.”
“I think what’s reasonable to accomplish is some negotiated peace,” he said, arguing that Russia, Ukraine, Europe and the U.S. all have an incentive to come to the table now and that the two-year-old war will at some point end in a negotiated peace.
Ricarda Lang, a co-leader of one of Germany’s governing parties, the Greens, responded that Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown repeatedly “that he has no interest in peace at the moment.”
Halting weapons supplies to Ukraine now would mean that “either you are prolonging the war or you give up Ukraine and Putin wins,” she said.
If Putin wins, “he, but also other forces like China, are going to learn that it’s possible to just change borders and that NATO is not going to hold it against us,” Lang added. That would lead to “a world with less security, and … a world with less freedom for the EU but also for the U.S.”
