A Biden-Harris Fumble on Ukraine Could Give Trump a New Line of Attack in First Debate

Few issues illuminate the political divide between President Trump and Vice President Harris as sharply as the war in Ukraine. The first debate between the presidential contenders, now slated for September 10, and the spotlight could turn to Ukraine. The question is whether the Trump team will throw a spotlight on Ms. Harris’s inexperience on some of the most vital security matters of the day. Congress recently approved $61 billion in emergency funding for Ukraine — but not unconditionally. The funding bill, which was passed on April 23, contained a mostly overlooked directive.“Not later than 45 days” after the date of enactment of the bill, it states, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense “in consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, as appropriate, shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations, Armed Services, and Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committees on Appropriations, Armed Services, and Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives a strategy regarding United States support for Ukraine against aggression by the Russian Federation: Provided, That such strategy shall be multi-year, establish specific and achievable objectives” and “define and prioritize United States national security interests…”Considerably more than 45 days have passed between July and August, and to date neither President Biden nor Vice President Harris appear to have submitted any relevant strategy to the aforementioned Congressional committees. A State Department spokesperson told the Sun that the Biden administration is “actively working to complete all reporting required under the Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act 2024” — but would not acknowledge that the department essentially missed the deadline.The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, last week said that “We’re going to reach out to the Ukrainian military to learn more about their objectives.” That is all of a piece with a scattershot, reactive Ukraine strategy that has long been criticized by some Republicans like Senator Paul.One of the concerns is that the war could widen in unforeseen ways. On Saturday, President Zelensky acknowledged for the first time that Ukrainian forces had invaded Russia in the Kursk region. Just last month, Secretary Austin and the Russian defense minister, Andrei Belousov, discussed ways to lower the risk of “possible escalation.”Fast forward to Ukraine’s major ongoing cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk region about 330 miles south of Moscow. “Russia brought the war to our land and should feel what it has done,” Mr. Zelensky said. With all irony apparently lost on him, Mr. Putin has accused Ukraine of a “major provocation.”If anyone thought the risk of escalation was going away just because the world was temporarily distracted by the Olympics, as of Monday the games are over. The European Commission has stated that embattled Ukraine is fighting “a legitimate defensive war against an illegal aggression” and that as such it is “entitled to hit the enemy wherever it finds necessary.”However, there are signs that developments are making some of Ukraine’s Western partners jittery. One of Mr. Zelensky’s staunchest allies is Italy’s Giorgia Meloni. On Friday La Stampa reported that, in respect of the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk, Ms. Meloni said that “they didn’t consult their allies.” The Italian foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said in June that Italian weapons earmarked for Ukraine should be used for defensive purposes, but not in Russian territory.Where does all this leave the White House? Secretary Blinken traveled to Kyiv soon after the $61 billion package passed, and the value of Mr. Blinken’s comity with Mr. Zelensky is not to be taken for granted. However, judging by the calendar, Secretaries Blinken and Austin have failed to provide the accountability they were mandated by Congress to provide. Last year President Trump said that “They’re dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I’ll have that done — I’ll have that done in 24 hours.” He said he could accomplish that after holding meetings with President Zelensky as well as President Putin.As unrealistic as such a swift resolution may be, Ms. Harris has yet to proffer a viable alternative. She has mainly taken aim at Trump’s perfunctory communication with Mr. Putin when the former was serving in the White House. In respect of the upcoming debate in September, Ms. Harris told reporters last week that she is “looking forward to it” and hoped that Mr. Trump “shows up.”

A Biden-Harris Fumble on Ukraine Could Give Trump a New Line of Attack in First Debate

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