January 27, 2025 - 11:45am
Is America slowly pulling out of its Ukrainian commitments? On Friday, a leaked cable indicated that the world’s richest nation is halting work on almost all its foreign aid programmes as part of a 90-day funding freeze, with new commitments also being paused.
Despite that, Volodymyr Zelensky looked relieved at the weekend. On Saturday, the Ukrainian President told reporters that US military aid to his country had not stopped, and one of his officials confirmed that American supplies of weaponry remain “intact”. This would seem, on the face of it, to be positive for Ukraine. Kyiv does, after all, rely on the US for 40% of its military aid and Zelensky has himself admitted that his country would lose the war if the Americans were to slash funding. Moreover, senior US diplomats are reportedly pushing for all Ukraine-related programmes to be exempted, with Washington sending back “positive signals”.
However, this episode holds worrying implications for US-Ukraine relations under the new Trump administration. While military aid to Kyiv is protected, Zelensky did not clarify whether humanitarian assistance is safe. Rather, USAID sources said last week that work on humanitarian programmes in Ukraine has been halted, with support for education projects, emergency maternal care and childhood vaccinations all frozen. Meanwhile, a service offering veterans financial, legal and psychological help has already shut. The initial request by US diplomats for all Ukrainian programmes to be exempted did not meet with immediate success and, until those lobbying efforts garner results, Kyiv is forced to manage the fallout. NGO staff are already warning that Ukrainian schools, hospitals, energy infrastructure and economic programmes will be at risk unless US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issues a waiver.
None of this augurs well for the prospects of US military support. While the order may have been sweeping, Rubio still took the time to expressly carve out exceptions for military aid to Israel and Egypt. Even though Ukraine would have undoubtedly enjoyed an incontrovertible affirmation of continued US allegiance and support, Rubio chose not to provide one. Note that it is Zelensky who is now providing public reassurance that battlefield supplies are safe, not the White House.
Kyiv will be reflecting fretfully upon the fact that, if America is willing to pause humanitarian assistance, it may well do the same with military aid. There are also some worrying clues here about how the Trump administration functions. The flurry of memos between Washington and its diplomats suggests they were not consulted in advance, with the order instead being issued hurriedly and without due diligence regarding the potential consequences. Speed was clearly of the essence, with US officials in Ukraine even left uninformed on how to fulfil their capital’s orders and whether exceptions might be possible.
The question, then, is what the White House strategy here is. On the one hand, Trump’s reluctance to publicly reaffirm that it will maintain military aid to Ukraine, as it did with Israel and Egypt, could be seen as a gift to Russia as Moscow seeks to push forward on the battlefield. However, the US President has also taken a hawkish line on Vladimir Putin, whom he accuses of “destroying” Russia, and has threatened to slap tariffs on Moscow. Until — or if — a deal is reached, that unpredictability will either be seen as a virtue or a curse depending on Ukraine’s fate.
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SubscribePoor Ukraine, plaything of US Neocons whose only interest has been goading Russia and increasing the value of their shares in the military industrial complex with yet another cavalier project with no regard whatsoever for the collateral damage of thousands and thousands of lives. Once they have earned enough from one country they just pick another. And our government just goes along with this, making a bogeyman of Putin, for example – just as they did with Assad – to frighten people here into supporting or not questioning it. Thank heavens for social media where we can find the unpalatable truths the MSM buries.
Oh, not just the Neocons who benefit…every politician who goes along with it will also benefit.
Oh, yes, Campbell, Assad was a nice guy, the same embodiment of humanism as Putin, elected thanks to the bombings in Moscow and Volgodonsk that the FSB carried out to save Russia, and now fighting for Russia’s security with his heroic soldiers who shit in children’s beds in Ukraine.
A person who rises to the top of a country’s political system is never a “nice guy”…just some have better PR.
You know, when it comes to Ukraine and Russia, most of those here would lick Putin’s ass rather than agree with the MSM.
I find this very strange, because Putin’s ass hardly smells any better than the Guardian editor’s ass, but as they say, there’s no accounting for taste.
I’m probably ill-mannered, I’m not one of those who needs to lick any ass.
Putin has a donkey? Why would anyone want to lick a donkey?
The White House strategy is perfectly clear. Trump is doing what he wants before the Deep State has managed to get its obstacles in place…but it will.
Does Bethany Elliott really have to write a speculative piece on the same subject every single week essentially saying “I still have no idea” (whilst implying she does) ?
When it comes to Trump she is entitled to.
This appears to be a smokescreen, crafted to portray Egypt as playing a special role—either supporting Israel or being strategically positioned, possibly to take in or be coerced into taking Gazans. Also Israel is mentioned to buttress the cease fire.
The goal seems to be shaping public perception, prompting reactions like, “Oh wow, look at Egypt,” while diverting attention from the bigger picture—which remains unclear for now.
The Ukraine situation might also be a test to gauge public reaction to the news and no one is crying for them. It’s fascinating to see the same pattern of news dissemination repeated, but it becomes almost absurd when it’s cloaked in opinions and innuendos to allow for plausible deniability. The gig is up!
But Trump is playing one hell of roulette though! Russian or not?