US President Biden reiterated his support for Ukraine on the closing night of the NATO summit in Vilnius. He praised Ukraine’s “unimaginable” courage, which according to Biden is an example for the whole world. However, the president must continue to do his best to maintain domestic support for Ukraine, says US correspondent Jan Postma.
“Some of the Republican citizens are critical, and that group is slowly growing,” Postma says. “More than 40 percent of Americans believe the United States is giving too much aid to Ukraine and that those billions should go to the Americans themselves.”
However, he notes that most Americans still support support for Ukraine. “In the first reactions to Biden’s words, I see positivity and realism about what needed to be done at this NATO summit. If you look more broadly at support for Ukraine, you will see, even in polls, that the majority still support American support for Ukraine.”
Distant
Moreover, the war is watched less intensely than in Europe, Postma suspects. ‘Ukraine is in many ways a distant sight for many Americans. It follows: it reads in the newspapers, but here domestic themes such as the economy are more alive.’
“I think Americans emphatically don’t see this as their war”
War seems even further away than for many Europeans, Postma says. “I think the Americans emphatically don’t see this as their war. A war in which America plays and must play a role, but not a war that belongs to her.”
Don’t veer
This NATO summit has yet to reach a conclusion on an important topic: Biden has not yet wanted to agree to supply F-16s, despite the fact that many European countries, including the Netherlands, would be happy to do so. The United States must first give permission, even for deliveries of F-16s from other countries, because the planes are American-made.
According to Postma, it’s only a matter of time before Biden turns. “It’s a bit of a guess, but if you look at how things have gone in the past, for example with tanks.”
This week, however, a pledge was made that eleven NATO countries, including the Netherlands, will train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 aircraft. According to Postma, this is an important step in the right direction, also for America’.
“Biden says very clearly that he wants to go far and believes in NATO cooperation, but he must also look at the internal situation”, concludes Postma. “He knows he has to keep the Americans aboard and so he can’t go too far. There is also a campaign going on here and a lot of things will change for the situation in Ukraine if another president takes office, for example Donald Trump.”
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
