Why Lend-Lease is a quintessential Trump issue

It seemed surprising that such an idea came from a party and politicians who had once strongly criticized this format and protested its adoption. However, as is often the case with the new administration, "if Trump does it, it’s good, but if someone else does it, it’s a betrayal of national interests." So let’s break down two key reasons why, from Trump’s perspective, this is definitely the right policy.

1. Speed and unpredictability as a weapon

What is Lend-Lease? It’s the ability of the president to swiftly allocate the budgets approved by Congress. Essentially, it’s a reduction in the bureaucratic steps from decision to implementation when it comes to providing new aid packages to Ukraine. These aren’t new funds or even a way to block money — it’s simply speeding up the process.

This is exactly what Trump needs to speed up the formation of a strong negotiating position for Ukraine, which he has been talking about for the past few weeks. He wasn’t wrong when he said, "Ukraine's strong position is the only chance to stop the war."

2. Tugging the blanket towards oneself

As long as Johnson remains Speaker and most of Congress continues to hesitate in opposing Trump (with the Democrats surprisingly passive), it's the ideal moment to shift more power over international relations and security issues toward the presidential branch. This hasn't occurred since the Vietnam War, and who can say for certain that, after Lend-Lease, Trump won't seek even more authority for himself?

Source

About the author. Oleksandr Kraiev, expert at the Foreign Policy Council Ukrainian Prism.

The editorial staff does not always share the opinions expressed by the blog authors.