Outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken began his farewell visit to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday, announcing that President Joe Biden will “push every dollar we have out the door.” he repeatedly insisted. At our disposal' to Ukraine.
Blinken meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Ukraine's new foreign minister Andriy Sibikha, saying the Biden administration set aside $8 billion in Ukraine spending in September to provide Ukraine with “necessary air defense equipment.” He insisted that he would continue to find ways to do so. We also have the artillery we need to fight Russia, and we also have the armored vehicles we need. ”
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, shortly after President Biden took office. lifted up Sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project. This will dramatically increase Russian natural gas exports to Western Europe, especially Germany. President-elect Donald Trump authorized the pipeline project during his first term as a way to deprive Russian strongmen of the funds they needed to carry out more belligerent operations in Eastern Europe. President Putin initially invaded and colonized Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Biden's move to lift sanctions caused shock and condemnation in Kiev, with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy saying he was “very unpleasantly surprised” by the news.
Biden has helped fund tens of billions of dollars for Ukraine's military since the invasion, but has done little to help negotiate an end to the conflict. In contrast, President Trump has vowed to end the fighting as soon as possible to prevent further destruction of the Ukrainian state. Zelensky enthusiastically welcomed the news of Trump's return to the presidency last week, congratulating him and becoming one of the first world leaders to speak directly to him after the election.
During his visit to Brussels, Blinken stressed that the Biden administration will seek to raise as much money as possible “from outside” to fund the Ukraine war by Inauguration Day.
“The purpose of this trip is to focus on ensuring that Ukraine has the funds, munitions, and mobilized forces to fight effectively or negotiate peace from a position of strength in 2025,” Blinken said. That's true.'' said reporters.
“We just recently mandated an additional $8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine. That was in September, and just a few weeks ago we added nearly $500 million more. ” he explained. Every dollar at our disposal will surely be spent between now and January 20th. ”
“We are ensuring that Ukraine has the necessary air defense, the necessary artillery and the necessary armored vehicles,” he stressed.
“The President is determined to commit every dollar at our disposal,” he reiterated, “especially with the $61 billion supplemental budget passed by Congress on a bipartisan basis several months ago. is well on its way to doing just that. ”
Still, Blinken warned that now is the time for “everyone to do more,” suggesting the Biden administration's massive policies could soon come to an end.
At a joint press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Sibikha, Blinken again said “Everyone is focused on making sure Ukraine gets what it needs” for the war, he said.
Mr. Sibiha raised the issue of presidential transition and said part of the reason for his meeting with Mr. Blinken was to ensure continued support from Washington to Kiev.
“We will maintain contact with both parties and work with both the president-elect and his team and the outgoing administration,” he asserted.
Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, announced this weekend that Biden plans to spend $6 billion earmarked for Ukraine through January, suggesting that Trump's inauguration will It suggested that this could herald an era of easing spending.
During the presidential campaign, Trump made Ukraine a major priority in a potential second term, vowing to end the conflict as soon as possible. The president-elect repeatedly lamented the scale of humanitarian and cultural destruction in Ukraine.
President Trump said in a September interview: “I want Russia to make peace with Ukraine and stop this. Millions of people have been killed, and the numbers are much higher than the numbers you're reading. ” he said. “But I want to get it done before I take office, and I want to get it done as the next president, because it has to be resolved. Right now, too many people have died, too many… The city is just in rubble. The culture is being destroyed.”
In an interview with Breitbart News in August, President Trump pointed out that Ukraine's cultural heritage had suffered severe damage as a result of the invasion.
President Trump said of Ukraine: “If you look at the heritage of this country, the cities are almost destroyed.” “They're flattened. They're completely flattened. Have you seen some of these cities? No buildings are built. The country is devastated. So I call it I want to solve it, and I'm going to be able to solve it. And I want to do it before I become the next president and get to the White House.”
As president, Mr. Trump repeatedly demanded that other members of the NATO alliance pay their fair share of defense spending, causing anxiety in Brussels. In 2018, the visionary President Trump accused Germany of funding Russia's war through fossil fuel purchases. “What’s the point of NATO if Germany is paying Russia billions of dollars for gas and energy?” – and demands stronger spending commitments.
“Why are only five countries out of 29 fulfilling their commitments?” Trump asked in a social media message at the time. “The US is paying for European protection, yet it is losing billions of dollars in trade. It must pay 2% of GDP immediately, not until 2025.”
In August, President Trump vowed to renew demands for increased spending from NATO allies.
President Trump told the National Guard Association: “We're going to provide reinforcements to our allies overseas and have them step up to the plate.” “They have to do it, and they have to pay their fair share. As I have said for years, none of these NATO countries spend less than 2 percent of their GDP on military spending. Our military is overstretched.”
President Trump pledged to “insist that all NATO members must spend at least 3% to cover shortfalls and deter threats.” “You have to go to 3%. 2% is the steal of the century.”
