White House indicates Ukraine war will end through negotiation, giving up territory to Russia: report

In the final days of 2023, the Biden State Department announced their final aid package to wartorn Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that "up to $250 million of arms and equipment under previously directed drawdowns," including air defense, ammunition, anti-armor, and ammunition would be sent.

Congress has not come to an agreement on further funding, and the EU is also balking under the continued financial need of the nation to fend off Russia. Ukraine's lack of a winning posture on the battlefield has also led the US and EU to quietly shift their positions as regards how the war should be waged and the eventual results for Ukraine.

An administration official spoke to Politico, saying that both the US and EU are "discussing the redeployment of Kyiv’s forces away from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s mostly failed counteroffensive into a stronger defensive position against Russian forces in the east." This, Politico said, was confirmed by a senior administration official.

The idea behind this, and the aid for air defense along the northern border with Belarus, is to fortify "Ukraine's position in any future negotiation."

"That’s been our theory of the case throughout — the only way this war ends ultimately is through negotiation," said a White House spokesperson, who was not authorized to go on the record, to Politico. That spokesperson went on to say that the goal is to make sure Ukraine has "the strongest hand possible when that comes."

The Biden administration is reportedly considering peace talks, but is not willing to say so publicly since it would be a "political risk." This per another anonymous source, this time from a congressional official.

All of this comes after nearly two years of the US funding Ukraine's war against Russia. Russia invaded Ukraine in Februrary, 2022, and the US has spent in excess of $113 billion to bolster the war effort. Zelensky has been a frequent visitor to Washington, DC, where he has continuously asked for more funding. Biden has been all too ready to give that aid, while congressional had begun to push back against that massive outlay of funds and supplies.

Aid for Ukraine has been a sticking point in the US House, where conservative reps ousted former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy over concerns that he was making side deals to send money to Ukraine despite intense opposition in his party. John Kirby of the National Security Council said in December that America is "nearing the end of our ability" to give more to Ukraine due to pushback from Republicans. Biden is focused on aiding Ukraine, but Republicans recently blocked $60 million from heading overseas.

Congressional Republicans have demanded that action be taken on the US border before more aid is sent to fortify the border of Ukraine. In light of this, some EU leaders have suggested bringing a "tour" to the US to increase support for their war among American voters.