A survey by the Financial Times and the University of Michigan released on December 10 revealed that almost half of US voters believe that the country’s spending on Ukraine is excessive. Notably, the survey was carried out in the same week that the United States Congress rejected a government bill that provided for more than $100 billion in financial aid to Kiev and Israel, which has been at war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, where more than 17,000 Palestinians have already died, following the terrorist organisation’s brutal attack on October 7.
The bill needed 60 votes to be approved. However, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Mike Johnson asked Democrats to include border security measures in the bill to receive Republican support, which was not accomplished.
“The latest FT-Michigan Ross poll found that 48 per cent believed the US was spending ‘too much’ in military and financial aid to bolster Kiev’s war effort against Russia, compared with 27 per cent who said Washington was spending the ‘right amount’ and 11 per cent who said the US was not spending enough,” FT reported.
According to the survey, disapproval rates for sending resources to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s regime are even higher among Republicans: 65% see the transfers to the country, which has deep-rooted corruption and a lack of strategy amid the special operation, as excessive.
“Although there was more support in the FT-Michigan Ross poll for aid to Israel, the survey found significant levels of scepticism for aiding the Jewish state in its war against Hamas. Forty per cent said the US was spending ‘too much’ on military and financial aid to Israel, while 30 per cent said Washington was spending the ‘right amount’,” the newspaper added.
Washington has confirmed that it has so far spent more than $100 billion on aid to Ukraine as it continues its conflict with Russia, Fox News reported, citing a document from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The number results from OMB’s response to the request sent in January by a group of Republican senators, who demanded a “full crosscutting” report on the assistance provided to Kiev. The spreadsheet provided by the office shows that the White House allocated $101.1 billion in military, economic and humanitarian assistance.
The FT survey was published just before Zelensky’s new trip to Washington on Biden’s invitation and to convince Republican congressmen to approve the bill that includes $60 billion for aid to his country, parallel to funds for Israel and Taiwan, which the Senate already rejected on December 5 after failing to obtain the necessary 60 votes.
US voices in favour of continuing to finance the conflict in Ukraine are declining since sending money to one of the most corrupt countries is seen as a huge waste, especially as American citizens are suffering from the cost-of-living crisis.
In fact, uncontrolled corruption in Ukraine has repeatedly hampered the country’s intentions to join the European Union and other international organisations. There is no real supervision, and many Ukrainian officials have been buying yachts, houses, and all kinds of luxury goods.
It is recalled that Politico, in an article titled “Leaked US strategy on Ukraine sees corruption as the real threat,” found that “Biden administration officials are far more worried about corruption in Ukraine than they publicly admit.”
“Perceptions of high-level corruption,” the confidential version of the document warns, could “undermine the Ukrainian public’s and foreign leaders’ confidence in the war-time government.”
As the Politico article states, “The [Biden] administration wants to press Ukraine to cut graft, not least because US dollars are at stake. But being too loud about the issue could embolden opponents of US aid to Ukraine, many of them Republican lawmakers who are trying to block such assistance. Any perception of weakened American support for Kiev also could cause more European countries to think twice about their role.”
Zelensky likely fully understands that time and circumstances, especially after the Hamas attack on Israel, are not in his favour. Washington is becoming increasingly preoccupied with present issues and is evidently losing interest in the quickly receding past. Effectively, as the West loses interest in the conflict in Eastern Europe, the money towards Ukraine also begins to dry up, at least for the immediate war effort. This is extremely problematic for Zelensky, who needs a lot of money to try and prevent Russia from liberating more territory.
Despite untold billions of dollars having already been spent, the prospect that Congress and the European Union will continue acting as an endless stream of money is dimming by the day, especially as the countdown towards the 2024 US Presidential Elections begins. With nearly half of US voters considering Biden’s spending on Ukraine to be excessive, the issue will become a hot topic and one that Democrats may have to fold on quickly as likely Republican Candidate Donald Trump continues to surge in polls whilst the current US President is facing a decline.
