Trump administration reinstates military aid for Ukraine

[webfact]

Trump administration reinstates military aid for Ukraine

By Patricia Zengerle

 

FILE PHOTO: A National Guard serviceman takes part in a competition for entry to the elite units of the Guard at a base near Kiev, Ukraine September 26, 2018. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration has released $250 million in military aid for Ukraine, U.S. senators said on Thursday, after lawmakers from both parties expressed concern that the White House had held up money approved by Congress.

 

The money is intended for use by Ukraine in its struggle with pro-Russian separatists backed by Moscow. Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea region in March 2014.

 

Some Democrats had questioned whether the administration had withheld the money to put pressure on Ukraine's government to support Trump's re-election campaign by launching an investigation into one of Trump's main rivals in the 2020 U.S. election.

 

Republican and Democratic members of the Senate Appropriations Committee said the White House released the money on Wednesday night, hours before the panel was due to debate an amendment to a defence spending bill that would have prevented Trump from such actions in the future.

 

An administration official confirmed that the money had been released, providing no explanation. The White House had said only that it was reviewing the Ukraine aid programme.

 

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell praised the Trump administration's release of the funds, saying: "It would have been a mistake to hold back our assistance to the brave people of Ukraine. Doing so would have undermined our partners in Ukraine and Eastern Europe and further emboldened the Kremlin."

 

It was one of several disputes recently between Trump and members of Congress, including some of his fellow Republicans as well as Democrats, over his administration's decision to sidestep congressional approval to fund its own policy initiatives.

 

Lawmakers from both parties had said they expected Congress would pass legislation to reinstate the aid for Ukraine if the administration had not released the money.

 

The White House has sought repeatedly to slash foreign aid since Trump took office in January 2017, but Congress has pushed back against such plans.

This week, three national security committees in the Democratic-led House of Representatives announced that they were launching an investigation into whether Trump, his lawyer Rudy Giuliani and possibly others had been trying to put pressure on Ukraine's government to assist in Trump's re-election campaign.

 

The committees had said they would investigate whether withholding the military aid was part of Trump's effort "to coerce" the Kiev government into launching an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden and his family.

 

Biden is running against Trump in the 2020 presidential campaign.

 

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Additional reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Sandra Maler)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-09-13

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[bendejo]

12 minutes ago, webfact said:

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell praised the Trump administration's release of the funds

Yes, he blackmailed Ukraine to participate in his political scheme, and then backed down off the threat.  A great display of heroism, inspired leadership and sound judgement.  Or maybe Ukraine secretly gave in?

And if Ukraine actually did say it would be no part of it, he inadvertently avoided more criminal charges against himself.  Of course setting up the whole situation was criminal, but that's no reason for him to worry: he has the Dept of Justice in his pocket and his opponents, the Democrats, are, well, the Democrats.

(Just to be clear: I side in the direction of the Dems, but find their way of near-consistently making a mess of things demoralizing.)

 

Yeah, I highlighted praised in the quote.  DT can't resist the stuff.  McConnell may be an amoral piece of waste but he is not an idiot.

 

[Tug]

I’m surprised putin allowed Donald to do this or perhaps he was more worried about the backlash here 

[legend49]

Stupidity reigns supreme. Money for war games, pathetic move. Why not visit Ukraine and see how people live and try and improve that?

[usviphotography]

There is actually huge opening for the Dems to argue that Trump has allowed Neocons to thwart his pro-peace platform and that they would do a better job getting us out of wars. Instead, they have doubled down on the warmongering are going to allow Trump to once again run as the anti-war candidate even though he has largely failed at forcing his anti-war initiatives through the Deep State resistance. 

[AgMech Cowboy]

6 hours ago, bendejo said:

Yes, he blackmailed Ukraine to participate in his political scheme, and then backed down off the threat.

Glad to know that you are an insider and know all the reason behind President Trump's decisions.  

 

Of course you know it might have nothing to do with Bolton leaving. You've got the scoop for us.  It was all Trump trying to influence his reelection.

Personally I hope he is trying to get information on Biden's blackmailing the Ukrainian government. Biden even brags about it.

[Srikcir]

5 hours ago, Tug said:

I’m surprised putin allowed Donald to do this or perhaps he was more worried about the backlash here 

We really don't know what Trump has done other than to publicly agree to "release" the funds.

7 hours ago, webfact said:

An administration official confirmed that the money had been released, providing no explanation. The White House had said only that it was reviewing the Ukraine aid programme.

"Release" may only mean that Treasury will set up an account for fund disbursement to Ukraine government. But actual issuance of funds via bank transfers can be slowed, delayed and/or not fully disbursed for the next fiscal year due to sundry excuses by Trump. Putin may have some suggestions for Trump in their frequent private calls. 

Mention of a "review" is sinister - review would have taken place prior to original request for funds as part of the U.S. fiscal year funding request from Congress. Why now would another review be necessary?

[IAMHERE]

Money down the drain, no return on this wasted money. America needs to stop with these donations to countries that hate us; and they all hate us.