Doubt in America

Republicans in Congress are questioning support for Ukraine. That could make it hard for Joe Biden to stay the course after the midterm elections.

Without American support, Ukraine probably would have already lost the war. One shouldn’t discount the help from Europeans, in the form of weapons as well as money, but Washington leads all contributors by a considerable margin. That is especially the case with military aid, in which the world power plays in a whole different league from most of its European partners in terms of quantity, technology and intelligence.

So we sit up and take notice when the Republican minority leader in the House of Representatives questions continuing aid to Ukraine in its current form. His party has a good chance of winning the House in three weeks. Kevin McCarthy would then take become House speaker, taking over from Nancy Pelosi.

Pressure from Trumpists

The fact that McCarthy, who previously voted in favor of aid to Ukraine, is now sowing doubt has to do with the pressure that Trumpists are applying in his party. They are against interventionist foreign policy, as is the former president himself.

McCarthy initially remained vague, and greater strategic goals suggest that there will be further bipartisan cooperation in favor of Ukraine after the midterm elections. But isolationism is America’s oldest political tradition. It could make it much more difficult for President Joe Biden to stay the course, especially if the Republicans were to take control of both chambers of Congress.