Congress gives up on deal for Ukraine aid this year

Ukraine heads into the new year with dwindling weapons stockpiles and no guarantee of more U.S. aid.

U.S. lawmakers, who have been at an impasse over more than $60 billion in fresh assistance for Ukraine as its war with Russia approaches its third year, abandoned efforts to reach a deal before leaving Washington for a holiday break.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer acknowledged Tuesday that a lastminute push to reach agreement with Republicans needed more time. GOP lawmakers are demanding more restrictive U.S. border and immigration policies in exchange for the war aid.

“This is just a difficult issue,” Schumer told reporters in the Capitol. “Our goal is to get something done as soon as we get back.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin is already gloating. He seized on the funding delays, saying his forces “have the initiative” on the battlefield. Ukraine, he said in a speech earlier in the day, “is suffering heavy losses and has largely squandered its reserves.”

The delay in U.S. aid is another striking sign of ebbing support for Ukraine among its allies. The European Union put off approval of a planned 50 billion euro assistance package in the face of opposition from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

The Pentagon said it will run out of money to replace U.S. weapons sent to Ukraine by Dec. 30, unless Congress approves new funding.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally visited the Capitol last week to plead with U.S. lawmakers to approve more than $60 billion in aid President Joe Biden requested to help the country fight off a Russian invasion. On Tuesday, Zelenskiy told reporters he’s confident the U.S. won’t “betray” Ukraine.

A bipartisan group of senator negotiators had been holding out a slim hope of reaching a yearend deal. They plan to continue talks into the new year, though Congress won’t return to work until the second week of January. Political attention will quickly shift to a Jan. 19 deadline to avert a partial U.S. government shutdown and the 2024 election.

Speaker Mike Johnson decided last week to send the House home rather than “debate a rushed product” on border policy.