US President Joe Biden's team plans to make the issue less public ahead of the re-election campaign as economic issues become a priority for voters, Politico reports, UNN writes.
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The publication points out that US President Joe Biden scored a huge foreign policy victory with the passage last week of a foreign aid bill that included $60 billion for Ukraine. "But now that he has cleared that hurdle, his team is poised to make America's ongoing commitment" to the issue "less of a public focus as it targets an electorate preoccupied with economic concerns," the paper writes.
The cause of democracy, as indicated, will remain a central component of Biden's re-election campaign - as a unifying thread for discussions on everything from Ukraine and Donald Trump to abortion, gun safety and education - so the White House and campaign aides said they do not anticipate a relentless public relations push to bolster support for Ukraine-related issues in the coming months, the newspaper writes.
Biden made a statement after the passage of the aid bill, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also visited the White House briefing room. But, as one senior administration official added, "now that Congress has passed the supplemental, it's naturally not as pressing an issue." "But failing to focus the country's attention on why America's continued support for Ukraine matters - why it remains an existential issue for countries far beyond Eastern Europe - poses real risks, foreign policy experts warn. It could further weaken domestic support for the war itself, all but close the door to any additional funding, and complicate a key component of Biden's presidential legacy: preserving America's longstanding role as a central pillar of the global democratic order," the publication notes.
"It's important for the Biden administration not to cede public messaging about Ukraine to people who are skeptical of U.S. support," said Rachel Rizzo, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. - "By not talking about it, it runs that risk, especially since it's already a talking point in the election for those who oppose aid to Ukraine.
Still, Democrats and committed transatlanticists who agree with Biden's view overwhelmingly believe that the most important element for continued U.S. support for Ukraine and NATO is for the president to win a second term. For them, it makes sense to emphasize other issues that are of most concern to American voters.
"The issues that are most important to the world are not necessarily the most important to voters," said Jennifer Palmieri, who served as communications director for Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign. - "It is extremely important that we received Ukrainian funding. But in terms of what people care about in their daily lives, it won't register.
Publicly, Biden's team insists that the debate is not an "either/or" one; that the president can "navigate doing two things at once.
"Looking ahead, it seems likely that Biden will return to the war on the big stages," the newspaper points out. Here, the publication mentions Biden's expected trip to France in early June to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion and the NATO summit in Washington in the summer.
"But even before these speeches took place, one could see a change in the way messages were being transmitted," the newspaper notes.
At the same time, the publication points out that "Biden's team believes it has overcome some of the most difficult political periods associated with the war effort." Recent opinion polls reflect growing support for Ukraine among Americans. A Gallup poll released this month found that 36 percent of Americans believe the U.S. has not provided enough assistance to Ukraine, up from 25 percent in October. Another 36 percent of respondents said the U.S. has provided too much aid to Kyiv, while 26 percent said the amount was right.
As to why this is the case, aides note that unlike other wars that have consumed U.S. presidents during election years, the war in Ukraine does not involve U.S. soldiers on the ground, which reduces the severity of the day-to-day impact on Americans.
"It is the president's responsibility to convey to the American people why Ukraine and our support are so important. Although he has done so several times, his narrative has not been clear enough for most Americans," said Alina Polyakova, President and CEO of the Center for European Policy Analysis.
Байден підписав законопроект про допомогу Україні24.04.24, 18:00