US might reduce Ukraine aid regardless of election outcome: Former amb
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Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad says that both US and European trends do not support an indefinite extension of the war in Ukraine.
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An official photo of the former US Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad (US Department of State)
In an article published this week, former US Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad suggested that the United States is likely to reduce its aid to Ukraine regardless of who wins the upcoming presidential election.
Khalilzad noted that both US and European trends do not support an indefinite extension of the war. He wrote in The National Interest journal on Monday that after the presidential elections, the US is expected to gradually decrease its support.
He added that whether President Trump or President Harris is in office, both would face challenges in maintaining current levels of aid, with Trump potentially pushing for a diplomatic resolution and Harris also struggling to sustain support.
The diplomat, who led US negotiations with the Taliban until the US withdrawal in 2021, has expressed support for the Ukrainian attack on the Russian region of Kursk, which resulted in civilian casualties.
Khalilzad proposed that Washington and its allies should prioritize ending the war in Ukraine after the US elections. He argued that support for Ukraine must remain "vigorous" to drive Russia toward a negotiated resolution. However, he also emphasized the need for equally "vigorous engagement" with both Russia and Ukraine to achieve a reasonable outcome.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that if Ukraine expressed a genuine desire to negotiate, Russia would not reject such a proposal, but talks would need to be based on the agreements made in Istanbul. He added that while Russia has never refused negotiations with Ukraine, it is not prepared to discuss "ephemeral demands."
Harris pledges aid for Ukraine
US Vice President Kamala Harris announced in June over $1.5 billion in new aid for Ukraine, focusing on its energy sector and humanitarian assistance, more than two years after the onset of the war in Ukraine.
At a two-day summit in Switzerland's Burgenstock mountain resort, Harris detailed that the aid package includes $500 million in new energy assistance funding. Additionally, $324 million in previously allocated USAID funds will be redirected to meet urgent energy needs.
The new aid package from USAID and the State Department reportedly includes over $379 million in humanitarian assistance. This funding aims to "help address urgent needs of refugees, internally displaced persons, and conflict-affected communities impacted by Russia's brutal war against the Ukrainian people," Harris claimed.
She added that, with the backing of Congress, the State Department will allocate an additional $300 million for Ukrainian civilian security assistance.
Trump reiterates his vow to end the Ukraine war
Former US President Donald Trump recently accused Ukraine of intentionally covering up the actual death toll in its war with Russia, speculating in a recent podcast broadcast last Tuesday that the death numbers are higher than depicted.
“They lie about the numbers,” Trump claimed in the podcast with Lex Fridman. “They try and keep [the numbers] low. They knock down a building that’s two blocks long, and they say one person was mildly injured. No, no, a lot of people were killed… millions of people.”
At the time, the Republican presidential candidate asserted that “a war that shouldn’t have happened," accusing President Joe Biden of failing to prevent the war while describing that reaching a potential ceasefire “is a much tougher deal to make than it would’ve been before it started.”
Trump reiterated his vow to end the war and "have a deal made" if he is re-elected in November.
