Negotiations are likely to be postponed until January: Senate fails to agree on funding for Ukraine before New Year - media
Kyiv • UNN
US Senate leaders indicate that a package of aid to Ukraine and border security is unlikely before the new year, with negotiations expected to continue in January. Lawmakers from both parties continue to meet ahead of the recess to find a compromise.
Leaders of the US Senate have said that it is unlikely that an agreement will be reached in the near future on an agreement to provide additional assistance to Ukraine and strengthen US border security, UNN reports with reference to Voice of America.
Some senators predict that the talks will probably be postponed until next year.
Senators from the Republican and Democratic parties did not go on their planned Christmas vacation the day before, instead continuing to work to agree on a funding package for Ukraine, Israel, and the southern border of the United States.
On Tuesday, December 19, a prominent Democratic senator, Dick Durbin, said that such an agreement was unlikely before the New Year.
"I hope that they will prepare the text [of the bill], roll up their sleeves, sit down and finish it when we come back in January," Senator Durbin told reporters.
Democratic Senator Mark Warner urges his colleagues not to leave until a compromise is found. He wrote on the X network (formerly Twitter): "The Senate should not adjourn without helping our allies abroad. Our place in the world is at stake here - we look weak if we don't keep our promises and refuse to deter Putin's brutal, unwarranted invasion of Ukraine."
Senators from both parties call the ongoing negotiations productive, but believe that the work is unlikely to be completed in the near future.
"Democrats and Republicans in the Senate realize that there is still much work to be done to pass legislation that will strengthen the security of the United States and the Western world. We have made important progress, but these are not easy negotiations, and the process will take more time. But regardless of how long it takes, we must succeed because the stakes are high - for America and for our friends in Europe, the Middle East, and around the world. We must send additional assistance to Ukraine to defeat Vladimir Putin," said Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that those involved in the negotiations are "making slow and steady progress."
One of the leading Republican negotiators, Senator James Lankford, said on Monday that he does not expect an agreement with the White House before the New Year, as there are still unresolved issues between the parties.
"This week we will obviously not finalize the text to be able to vote to put all these things together. We will continue to work until it is done," he said. "We will all come back to it in January, but it will take some time to finish the whole text."
The day before, as reported by Voice of America, John Kirby, Strategic Communications Coordinator for the National Security Council, said that by the end of December the White House plans to provide Ukraine with the last aid package , for which funding is still available.
Recall
The Biden administration has submitted a request to Congress to approve additional funding for Ukraine worth $61 billion, but some Republican lawmakers have opposed the initiative. In exchange for support for this funding, they demand that the US implement migration reform by tightening control over the flow of migrants on the southern border with Mexico.
The Republican-majority U.S. House of Representatives went on Christmas vacation last week without reaching an agreement on the bill. It is unclear whether congressmen will return to the issue even if senators reach a compromise on aid to Ukraine and border security.
According to observers, next year it may be even more difficult for US lawmakers to find agreement on controversial bills, as it will be the period when politicians in the US will begin to nominate their candidates for the US presidential election, and in January, the deadline for Congress to pass the budget for this year is approaching to avoid another risk of a shutdown.
