In theory Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for the presidential election in USA, supports Ukraine and wants it to win the war. In practice, however, things are a little different.
The Telegraph writes that during her election campaign, Kamala Harris largely ignored the topic “Ukraine”. She recently refused to say that she supports the country's accession to NATO.
There are signals that if she wins the US presidential election, Kamala Harris will not be the staunch ally of Kiev that Ukrainians now hope for. At the last presidential debate, Harris was asked if she wanted Ukraine to win the war. She gave a long answer that did not include the answer “yes“.
Some Americans feel that her commitment to Ukraine's defense is waning. One explanation for Harris' apparent neglect of Ukraine on the campaign trail is that the issue simply isn't a deciding factor in the U.S. vote.
The percentage of Americans who want the US to continue funding Ukraine is decreasing. The topic “Ukraine“ is appearing less and less in the news and there is fatigue not only in Europe but also in the US.
Those close to Donald Trump say he believes Ukraine is a problem for Europe, not America, and that Washington's attention should be directed to Beijing. His rhetoric is a far cry from the Republican Party narrative of the 1980s, when it called for strong intervention against the Soviet Union to protect the liberal West.
Among Democrats, support for Ukraine is higher, but only a minority of voters see it as one of the biggest issues in this presidential election. According to analysts, domestic issues such as the economy, migration and abortion are of much greater concern to American voters.
There is also skepticism that the war in Ukraine can soon be won by Ukrainian forces. As elections approach, growing skepticism among lawmakers worries Western allies. There are also claims that Harris is a politician with more interest in domestic affairs than foreign affairs. If she wins the race for the White House but fails to secure both houses of Congress, it seems unlikely that aid to Ukraine will be at the top of her list of priorities when she trades with Republicans.