President Joe Biden became a “lame duck” on Tuesday. This is a term used in Anglo-Saxon countries to refer to the period of time a politician remains in office after leaving office until the day the office is officially handed over to a successor.
Generally, this period is compared to a period of weakening of a particular leader's position. But some leaders take advantage of not having to worry about popularity and use this time to make bold, unpopular decisions “at the last minute.”
Jessica Berlin, a senior analyst at the Center for European Policy Analysis, said on social media Wednesday that Joe Biden may now become the “weakest lame duck in history.” “Whatever can reach Ukraine must reach now,” the expert said.
US elections. Joe Biden doesn't need to be a 'lame duck'
Ukraine's English-language newspaper “Kyiv Independent” writes that American aid to Kiev may be stopped due to Donald Trump's occupation of the White House on January 20, 2025. The newspaper notes that Republicans questioned U.S. aid to Ukraine during the campaign, but it is unclear what the new administration will ultimately decide on the issue.
The most pressing thing Joe Biden can do at the end of his presidential term is provide additional funding to war-torn neighboring Poland. Thanks to the freeze on Russian assets after the attack, around $300 billion remains in banks around the world.
“Biden could simply seize frozen U.S. assets and transfer them to Ukraine to finance the war itself. The U.S. has $5 billion in Russian state assets,” Kiev Independent said. Dent writes. Democratic lawmakers can do this because that is the power given to them by the Repo Act.
War in Ukraine. Financial and military aid to Kiev. Joe Biden can act
The current head of state could go even further and seize his personal assets, which would reportedly amount to as much as $16 billion.
If Joe Biden decides to take such steps, he could encourage other European countries such as France and Germany, which have previously been skeptical of such efforts because they did not want to provoke Russia. There is.
A similar mechanism occurs in the case of military aid. On Thursday, the Pentagon announced that it had committed to sending a total of $6 billion in unpaid military aid to Ukraine before President Donald Trump took office. Such action could mobilize other European countries to take similar action.
ATACM and Shadow Storm. Joe Biden could trigger an 'avalanche of decisions'
Recently, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, during negotiations with allies, attempted to allow the use of Western long-range weapons within Russian territory, primarily American ATACM missiles and British Shadow Storm. However, the efforts of Ukrainian leaders failed.
Kurt Volker, an American diplomat who served as Ukraine representative under Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019, said in an interview with the Kyiv Independent that the Biden administration would be extremely reluctant to withdraw its objections. “I think it's wise,” he said. “Let Ukraine use the weapons we gave them,” he added, stressing that consent to such actions could be given “quietly.”
If Joe Biden gives the green light to such a policy, it is almost certain that European countries such as the UK will follow his example, the newspaper said.
– Ukraine is likely to keep its permit from London even if President Donald Trump reverses this decision after taking office. Analyst Aaron Gash-Barnett said European countries had already granted permits under the Biden administration, so it would be very bad if they joined with President Trump to withdraw the permits.
Morawiecki “Event Guest'' appearance: Trump was the most anti-Russian president since Ronald Reagan/Porsat News/Porsat News
