-
For some American voters, U.S. support for Ukraine is a key issue.
-
This applies to those who support aid to Ukraine And for those who think the US is doing too much.
-
Biden has promised to continue aid to Ukraine, while Trump wants to end the war quickly.
One of the defining foreign policy issues of President Joe Biden’s term has been the war in Ukraine.
After Russia launched an invasion of the country in 2022, its support for Ukraine – and the provision of tens of billions of dollars in aid – was twofold.
Congress has so far approved $175 billion for the war effort, some of which has gone directly to Ukraine and some of which has been spent on weapons production in the US.
Over the past two years, a wide partisan divide has emerged on this issue. In April, a majority of Republicans in the House of Representatives voted against aid to Ukraine.
Biden has broadly indicated that his administration plans to continue providing aid to Ukraine. Former President Donald Trump, meanwhile, is likely to limit aid to Ukraine in an effort to end the war.
Here’s a look at each candidate’s position on the issue.
Where Joe Biden Stands on Ukraine
Since the war began, Biden and his administration have remained staunchly supportive of providing aid to Ukraine.
Biden and other Democrats have argued that this is not just an act of charity, but a relatively cost-efficient way to combat Russian aggression and uphold the US-led world order.
Recently, the Biden administration and other NATO countries decided to let Ukraine use their weapons to attack targets in Russia, potentially breaking a long-standing impasse.
During a recent interview with TIME in late May, Biden appeared to indicate that he is not in favor of a negotiated resolution to the conflict along the current battle lines.
“Peace looks like Russia will never, never, never, never occupy Ukraine,” Biden said. “This is what peace looks like.”
Where Donald Trump stands on Ukraine
Trump’s position on Ukraine is somewhat murky.
He has floated the idea of giving Ukraine aid in the form of a loan, something even some of his allies have protested against. In March, Hungarian President Viktor Orbán claimed that Trump would completely cut off funding for Ukraine if he won, which the former president later denied.
His most consistent position when it comes to Ukraine is that Europe is not doing enough – and the US is doing too much – to help the country, and that he would take steps to quickly end the war if elected.
So you can expect that a second Trump administration will be much less supportive of Ukraine’s current war aims.
First, the Republican Party – especially at the congressional level – has quickly turned against more aid. Trump’s closest allies in Congress, including Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, are fierce opponents of aid to Ukraine.
Additionally, the Washington Post reported in April that Trump is in favor of pushing Ukraine to cede some territory to Russia, including the currently Russian-occupied areas of Crimea and the Donbas.
Read the original article on Business Insider
