Sunday 21 April 2024

Will Mike Johnson's triumph save Ukraine from defeat?

Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives, might lose his job but will his successful behind-the-scenes manouevrings and negotiations to get approval for Joe Biden's Ukraine aid bill save the Ukrainian people from a humbling defeat by the Russians? It should do. The Pentagon will now have the green light to send a mass of desperately-needed artillery shells, Patriot anti-air missiles and a whole host of other munitions and weapons to reverse the territorial gains made by the Russians in recent months. Mike Johnson will go down in Biden's books as the hero of the hour. Being a Republican and basically helping the Democratic president to get his crucial legislation through the Republican-controlled House was a feat requiring courage, selflessness, vision and downright obstinacy. He succeeded but the most conservative elements of the Republican party, including the scary Marjorie Taylor Greene, House representative from Georgia and devotee of Donald Trump, will be out to get him unseated as Speaker. But I suspect they will fail. Last night when the bill passed, allowing $61 billion to be allocated for Ukraine, was Johnson's night. Ukraine will now survive and Moscow will be seething. Putin was counting on Johnson failing, leaving Ukraine under-armed, under-funded and facing a grim defeat. Bill Burns, the CIA director, had warned that Ukraine faced defeat by the end of this year if the bill wasn't passed by Congress. Burns is one of the wisest voices in Washington, and the most trusted. So Republicans with any doubts about continuing to help Ukraine would have been persuaded by his arguments. So, huge relief for Biden and massive relief for Zelensky in Kyiv. And relief, too, for the whole Nato alliance.

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