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Introduction – Sept 29, 2024

Until recently the WSJ had been entirely supportive of the West’s backing for Ukraine in its war with Russia. However, a Wall Street Journal editorial suggests that something has changed in Washington’s plans for Ukraine.

Put this together with Trump’s pledge to bring the war to an end should he win in November, and it seems likely that U.S. is contemplating cutting its military support for Kiev.

There are multiple reasons for this. The most obvious being that Russia has been steadily gaining the upper hand in the conflict. To make matters worse, the West simply cannot keep up with Russia’s military/industrial output, which has been on a war footing and now surpasses the West’s production capacity.

There may be another more pressing reason for the West to have reconsidered its support for Ukraine.

That is the looming prospect of a wider conflict in the Middle East, as Iran considers retaliating against Israel for the recent killing of Hezbollah leader Nasrallah.

The simple fact is that the West cannot afford to wage two wars at once, even if proxies are doing most of the fighting. Hence, we suspect that the West is considering reducing its support for Ukraine as Iran and its allies contemplate launching retaliatory strikes on Israel.

If that happens Netanyahu will demand full support from the West, which will come in the form of missile defence systems, radars and the like. Provided by the U.S., Britain, France and Germany.

Initially, at least, there may not be many Western ground forces involved but the prospect of Western military involvement to defend Israel is now a very real possibility. Ed.

Biden broke his word to Congress – WSJ

RT.com – Sept 29, 2024

US President Joe Biden has not been honest with the American public about his administration’s plan for Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board wrote in an article on Friday.

Despite Biden styling himself a supporter of Ukraine’s freedom in his speech to the UN General Assembly this week, he refuses to level with Congress and the American public about his strategy to achieve victory, the editorial stated.

In April, lawmakers passed a nearly $61 billion supplemental budget for Ukraine, after months of wrangling between Democrats and Republicans. One of the conditions stipulated was that the Biden administration articulate a strategy regarding US support for Ukraine within 45 days of the budget’s enactment, and quarterly moving forward.

“Biden knew this commitment was necessary to get aid through Congress, and he signed the bill,” WSJ observed.

Despite this, the strategy was submitted “months after the congressionally-mandated deadline,” the newspaper said, citing a press release from GOP lawmakers. “Also, and this is typical of the Biden stonewall: The document is entirely classified,” WSJ wrote, adding that congressmen want the strategy made available to the American public.

”Don’t count on the Administration following this order before Nov. 5, if it ever does,” the board said.

“A public release might mean that Vice President Kamala Harris would have to explain her own thinking on the war before the election. As long as she doesn’t, and the Administration covers it up, Ms. Harris co-owns Mr. Biden’s record of muddled half measures.”

The Biden administration announced a further $8 billion in military aid for Kiev on Thursday, reserving the remainder of a large Congressionally-approved allocation set to expire by the end of September. This came right after Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky visited the US to pitch what he termed his “victory plan” to his biggest sponsor.

According to several Western media sources, Kiev’s wishes are now increasingly clashing with those of its backers in the West. Its allies have also so far denied its ever-more urgent demands to allow the use of Western-supplied arms to strike deep into Russian territory.

Meanwhile, Zelensky has rejected any possibility of compromise with Russia and ruled out negotiations. Ukrainian officials have suggested that escalating the conflict could force Russia to settle on Kiev’s terms.

Moscow views the conflict as a de facto proxy war and has warned that if Kiev is given permission to use Western long-range weapons, any such attack will be viewed as an act of war.

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