Trump is Having a Rough Week on Foreign Policy

The House votes to extend aid to Ukraine

By: Austin Abbring

June 6, 2026

For the second time in a week, the House has voted against Donald Trump’s foreign policy measures. 18 Republicans joined 207 Democrats in passing an aid bill for Ukraine in their continued defense against an invasion by Russia. The bill would provide over $1 billion in security and reconstruction aid and make another $8 billion available for Ukraine's defense. While this, as well as the War Powers Resolution for the Iran war, still needs to pass in the Senate, it is a sign that some of Donald Trump’s unequivocal control over the entirety of Republicans is beginning to wane. Republican congresspeople have elections to attempt to win in November, and this administration’s mishandling of energy prices, affordability, the Epstein files, and starting another forever war in the Middle East has Republicans feeling the heat. Rightfully so. 

While this Ukrainian aid bill will have a serious uphill battle in the Senate, it is at least making it to the Senate floor for debate. This war is almost a forgotten blip in the past for Donald Trump, who has done next to nothing to aid in ending it diplomatically. In fact, he has continued to make things much more difficult for President Zelenskyy and Ukraine. For starters, he promised to end the war on day one of his presidency. We are currently on day 503. Even as Ukrainian defense continues to maintain its front-line positions and force a stalemate, Trump has refused to send any substantial aid to turn the tide in favor of the Ukrainians. Friendly reminder: Ukraine is our ally; Vladimir Putin is not. The Trump administration continues to push for Kyiv to engage in peace talks with Russia that would see Ukraine make massive land and military concessions that are just not realistic, sustainable, or fair for Ukraine. This has unsettled leaders in Kyiv, as they are almost expected to capitulate to end this engagement. Another friendly reminder: Ukraine is defending its sovereignty. Russia has illegally invaded them. 

Who could forget the manner in which Trump and Vice President Vance disrespected President Zelenskyy last February? They acted as middle schoolers, calling the Ukrainian President ungrateful, disrespectful, and attempted to pressure him into signing a peace deal with Russia. They even went so far as to mock Zelenskyy for not wearing a suit. Meanwhile, Elon Musk was parading around the White House in blazers and ironic meme t-shirts, cutting dozens of our government agencies during the same period. Oh, how far our discourse in foreign diplomacy has fallen. We used to be a pillar in international peace and relations, a respectable superpower. We have been on a downward spiral in that regard for decades and have finally reached bedrock with this administration. 

Just to be clear, we are not just dropping bags of money as aid to Ukraine. We have primarily provided them with pre-existing military equipment nearing the end of its shelf life. This has boosted our domestic economy as we update our weaponry and do not have to spend as much taxpayer money on removing outdated equipment. The aid we have provided is also a fraction of a percentage point of our overall budget. Additionally, I think we must honor our word in treaties. In 1993, Ukraine agreed to divest, or remove, its nuclear arsenal, which was the third largest in the world at the time. In exchange, the United States would provide a little over $170 million to assist in dismantling the nuclear cores of weapons, as well as provide security assurances should Ukraine be invaded or be on the receiving end of an act of aggression. A similar deal was struck in 1994 with the trilateral Budapest Memorandum between Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S. 

It is perfectly acceptable to be concerned about our foreign aid, military, medical, or sustenance-based, while we clearly have domestic issues at home. I understand that. I also understand the argument that we spend more in NATO than our other European allies do. However, Ukraine is a strategic partner, an ally. It is a sovereign nation being illegally invaded by another global superpower. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed, wounded, and displaced. It is our responsibility as a global superpower to help stop tyranny. In terms of NATO spending, we have an unusually massive defense budget and military interests around the world. The vast majority of other NATO members meet the agreed-upon minimum defense spending requirement of 2% of overall GDP as part of the alliance. Also, our presence in NATO does not stop in Europe. We have bases and military personnel scattered across the globe. We would have done that whether or not we were a member of NATO. 

I truly hope this aid passes the Senate. Our global image desperately needs bolstering. I am hoping we can at least mend one of the many fractures in our foreign relations as a signal to our European and Asian allies that the United States will, ideally, return to some sort of normalcy and sanity when this Trump era ends. I would love to see us slash our defense spending in half, not police the globe, and heavily reform our military-industrial complex, but that is an argument for a different day. For now, we have a moral and ethical obligation to support our Ukrainian brothers and sisters in their darkest hour.