Democrats in the U.S. are discussing $15 billion in new military aid for Ukraine — FT
Representatives of the U.S. Democratic Party are considering putting together a military aid package for Ukraine worth about $15 billion. The party is also discussing increasing sanctions pressure on Russia, according to the Financial Times.
According to insiders, following their success in the U.S. midterm elections—which gave Democrats control of both chambers of Congress—they plan to provide more active support to Ukraine.
It is important to understand that, despite the Democrats’ strengthened position in Congress, U.S. foreign policy remains under Donald Trump’s control. Therefore, lawmakers plan to influence support for Kyiv through budgetary decisions and congressional oversight.
Among the top priorities is providing assistance to Ukraine’s energy sector ahead of the winter season. Democrats want to include additional funding and other support measures in the annual U.S. National Defense Authorization Act, which must be passed before the current Congress’s term ends.
Another area of discussion is providing Ukraine with interceptor missiles for air defense, intelligence data, and support for the Starlink satellite communications system.
In addition to military aid, Democrats plan to push for a review of Washington’s sanctions policy toward Moscow.
According to the FT, this move was prompted by Trump’s decision to use the exemption mechanism to ease additional restrictions against Russia amid agreements to allow Russian diesel fuel to enter global markets. In light of this, lawmakers want to amend the current sanctions legislation.
“We will amend the Graham Act. It took a year and a half to try to impose sanctions against Russia, and then they were simply repealed,” said a Democratic representative.
In addition, party representatives intend to scrutinize the Trump administration’s foreign policy decisions and the potential business interests of its officials. Specifically, this concerns Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and the U.S. president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
The White House responded by stating that Trump, Witkoff, and Kushner are focused on ending the war in Ukraine and are committed to constructive cooperation with Congress.
However, the Democrats’ influence on decision-making remains limited. To override a presidential veto on legislative initiatives, they will need the support of some Republicans, the FT reports.
Earlier, Trump expressed his belief that Ukraine and Russia were ready for a peace agreement.
Earlier, Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, held talks in Brussels with representatives of the European Commission, the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, NATO, the World Bank, and the investment firm BlackRock.
Working-level talks between Ukraine and Russia are scheduled for November 10–11 in Abu Dhabi, with the U.S. acting as mediator. According to Steve Witkoff, Special Representative of U.S. President Donald Trump, the parties are expected to discuss post-war security, de-escalation, and humanitarian issues.
