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MADRID – In an unprecedented show of unity against Russia’s war in Ukraine, world leaders reached an agreement at NATO’s annual summit this week to expand the alliance’s Eastern Front.
But the well-written demonstration of democratic solidarity belied developing considerations about how long the West (the United States) would continue to inject tens of billions of weapons and humanitarian aid into the besieged nation, with growing political and economic tension at home.
“War fatigue is decreasing everywhere,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told POLITICO. “It’s been going on for 4 months. And there is maximum inflation, there is an energy crisis. Covid is not going anywhere. Therefore, it becomes more troublesome. however, we cannot be tired, because we have to protect Ukraine’s country.
Amid smiles and statements of determination, President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson were beset by internal problems at their farewell press meetings on Thursday, blaming Vladimir Putin’s war with Ukraine for the economic strain felt by his constituency.
When pressed, Johnson said some other people in his home were “misunderstood” about “who is to blame for the spikes in fuel prices,” which he placed firmly at Putin’s feet.
“The accusation of freedom is paying value,” he added, and “unless we get the right result in Ukraine, Putin will be able to engage in more or less acts of aggression against other parts of the former Soviet Union with more or less impunity. ” and this will lead to more global uncertainty, new oil shocks, new panics and economic misery for the entire world.
For his part, Biden responded to his own internal questions by saying that gasoline and food costs were rising because of “Russia, Russia, Russia. “truly defeat Ukraine and move beyond Ukraine. “
This would possibly seem like a misleading argument to provide Americans who are already suffering from record inflation and are about to deliver a resounding defeat to Biden’s party in the November midterm elections. Indeed, there are doubts in Washington about whether Congress can also simply even pass a multibillion-dollar aid package for Ukraine if needed later this year. (Lawmakers attending the summit said they hoped that if the war continues into the winter months, a budget injection may be needed. )
Congressional leaders are sometimes reluctant to consider primary law in the run-up to midterm elections, and lawmakers make themselves heard among the electorate that wants their elected officials to focus on situations of national demand that have a more direct effect on their daily lives. In addition, the electorate and candidates aligned with former President Donald Trump are increasingly adopting an isolationist attitude toward war.
This is a challenge that many Republican lawmakers who need to see the West continue on the road to Ukraine fear facing head-on.
“I would say to those who criticize [the United States for Ukraine]: do they really need to do that?Ronald Reagan would be deeply disappointed. I would lower my head in disgrace if we turned away from the Ukrainians,” said Senator Jim Risch. from Idaho, the most sensible Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who visited Kyiv earlier this week.
In Madrid, U. S. officials and lawmakers have worked hard to convince Americans that it is imperative to remain committed to Ukraine, despite economic problems.
“Many other people are sacrificing so that Ukraine can win this war. They pay higher fuel prices. They face expanding prices that are greatly affected by the war in Ukraine,” said Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N. H. ), who co-led a congressional delegation here this week, in an interview. “What I emphasize is that we are interested in seeing Ukrainians succeed. “
Others defend the case in even harsher terms, urging Americans to take advantage beyond the conflicts to voice their opinion on the war in Ukraine and the sacrifices that would possibly be necessary.
“You have to appeal to other people not only in terms of national values, but also in terms of history,” Senate Minority Leader Dick Durbin (Illinois) added in an interview here. “Let’s face it, the clearest representation we have of Vladimir Putin’s Taste for Adolf Hitler. “
The war is not expected to end anytime soon, and the assembled governments seemed determined to defend Ukraine, even in the face of domestic discontent over some of the war’s economic fallout.
Despite the silent fear expressed off the occasion through some allies that domestic issues, from abortion to midterm elections and inflation, would divert the American public from Ukraine or from a strong leadership role globally, there is still hope that Washington will continue. to deliver once the $40 billion military and humanitarian aid program enacted last month is enacted. it sold out later this year.
“I don’t think the main position of the United States will replace Ukraine,” Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad told POLITICO. “I think the total democratic world obviously understands what’s going on in Ukraine and we want to help Ukrainians, so I don’t expect any significant replacement, no matter what happens after the midterm elections. “
The senators who joined the delegation agreed with Nad’s assessment and insisted that when it comes to supporting Ukraine and resolving disorders in the United States, the United States can walk and chew gum at the same time.
“We’ve been doing this for decades where we’ve had global threats that exist, we can confront them,” Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said in an interview on the sidelines of the summit. “But we can also deal with national unrest as long as we have the right policies. That’s where I would say this management is collapsing.
Part of the challenge for lawmakers is convincing the electorate that the crisis in Ukraine is affecting them and the kind of concerted global reaction that NATO members have led is not easy. For example, global food security has been affected by Russia’s incursion into Ukraine, with the US. In the U. S. , chains of origin are being hit hard as part of what Ernst called Russia’s effort to “use food as a weapon. “
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N. C. ), who co-led the delegation in Madrid, said the “challenge of global famine” could worsen if the United States reneges on its humanitarian commitments under the newer aid program.
“I would tell other Americans that if we allow Putin to succeed, prices will go up dramatically. Not just the threat to democracy, but the real wallet messes that Putin is partly to blame for today,” Tillis said. It’s up to us to give back to our respective states and move back to the other American people and that. “
Despite those challenges, lawmakers will soon have a chance to show unity when they return to Washington. The Senate is expected to complete the procedure for approving Finland and Sweden’s membership in NATO, an effort that will lead to a landslide victory in the upper house.
Much of this week’s summit was faithful to celebrating the two countries’ entry into the military alliance after decades of neutrality, and Turkey’s wonder returned to the fold once President Recep Tayyip Erdogan relented and accepted its inclusion.
“[Putin] expected us to fracture,” Biden said. But he’s getting precisely what he didn’t want. He sought the Finnishing of NATO. He received the OTANization of Finland.
Lili Bayer contributed to this report.