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US policy on Ukraine was also in the balance as America voted in Tuesday’s midterms, with Republican leaders warning there would be no “blank check” for Kyiv if the GOP regained control of Congress.
While many in the Republican mainstream have joined US President Joe Biden and Democrats to approve billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, others have expressed reservations over the amount of money being sent overseas to combat the Russian invasion.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, the US Congress has approved some $60 billion in assistance for Ukraine. When the Senate approved more than $40 billion in new military and humanitarian aid back in May, only Republican lawmakers voted against the proposal.
Republican Kevin McCarthy, who is likely to become the next speaker if his party wins a majority in the House of Representatives, warned in October that there would be no “blank check” for Ukraine, citing Americans struggling economically back home.
“I think people are gonna be sitting in a recession and they’re not going to write a blank check to Ukraine,” McCarthy told Punchbowl News. “They just won’t do it.”
Democrats were quick to criticise McCarthy for his comments, and it quickly became clear that Republicans themselves are divided on the issue. While some in the party argue for redirecting resources toward domestic problems, others critique such “America First” isolationism as a misbegotten relic from the Trump era and a gift to US adversaries.
Indeed, McCarthy’s remarks were quickly picked up and deseminated by Russian media outlets.
Some agreement on China
Other areas of disagreement on foreign policy include Iran, with Republicans adamantly opposed to Biden’s efforts to revive a 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement.
But on the issue of China, Republicans and…
Source : france24
