A Cynical Deal in Congress May Yet Save Ukraine
A new plan in Congress would sacrifice America’s southern border to please (yes, please) Trump and still assure that Ukraine survives.
Entering or leaving?
Photographer: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
The Prussian statesman Otto von Bismarck memorably compared laws to sausages: it’s better not to see them being made. That definitely applies to some particularly ugly meat-grinding now happening inside the US Capitol. But if the sausage in question comes out in one piece, it may just save Ukraine. So I’ll close my eyes and eat it.
The geopolitical background is this: Ukraine has so far withstood the unprovoked aggression of Russian President Vladimir Putin largely thanks to help from the US and its Western allies — in the form of intelligence, money and of course weapons. That support remains vital as the struggle becomes a war of attrition. Putin has turned Russia into a war economy churning out ammo, whereas Ukraine is starting to run low, especially in air defenses.