Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

According to CNN, the US State Department announced the last such package the US will provide to Ukraine until Congress approves the Biden administration's funding requests. Pentagon spokesperson Garron Garn stated that the funds allocated for replenishing US stockpiles had run out. The Biden administration's commitment to aid Ukraine is in a ridiculous and embarrassing situation.

The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the fact that the Biden administration failed to push for congressional approval of funding for Ukraine underscores Biden's "failure to convince congressional skeptics that America's interests lie in ensuring Moscow cannot prevail in the war." This also indicates that the main target of the Western alliance led by the US in the Russia-Ukraine conflict is Russia.

In this conflict, the US is undoubtedly the biggest beneficiary. Cui Heng, a scholar from the China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation, told the Global Times that the US has strengthened its control over European and Asia-Pacific allies through the Russia-Ukraine conflict, reaching the peak of its control over the Western world since the Cold War, and the US no longer needs to worry about the EU challenging its position.

Ukraine has been able to hold on until today mainly with the help of the US. Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, believes that on the one hand, the US government hopes to fuel the fire in the Russia-Ukraine conflict by increasing military aid to Ukraine, but on the other hand, it is constrained by Congress and faces difficulties in ensuring follow-up funding. The overall policy of the US toward the Russia-Ukraine conflict is caught in a dilemma. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the US Congress to pass aid to Ukraine, and the aid program is finding it harder to gain support from war-weary American voters. In particular, the Palestine-Israel conflict has distracted the attention of the US ruling elite from supporting Ukraine.

Despite facing setbacks, experts believe the possibility of the US government stopping aid to Ukraine is unlikely. US aid to Ukraine has a demonstration effect, and if the US was to stop aid, European countries would also follow suit. Li believes the US and European aid to Ukraine is a game, where if the US reduced its aid, it would force European countries to provide more assistance to Ukraine. For Europe, six countries have not joined the Declaration on Security Guarantees for Ukraine. Cui believes that Europe may learn from the US approach and provide small-scale aid while prolonging the duration of each assistance.

Ultimately, the game between the US and Europe in aiding Ukraine is that the purpose of the aid is not to defend Ukraine but to consume Russia. Ukraine is seen as a "consumable product" in the eyes of the West, and no country will pay a higher price for Ukraine's security. This once again demonstrates the sad reality: Ukraine is the biggest loser in the entire conflict.

Ukraine's progress on the battlefield has stalled, and the West is increasingly realizing that the Russia-Ukraine conflict won't exhaust Russia as much as it expects and that victory is far from certain. The attitude toward the Russia-Ukraine conflict is becoming increasingly divided within the US and Europe, with a growing trend to reduce aid to Ukraine and more countries in Europe advocating for cease-fire negotiations in Ukraine. However, the prospects for peaceful negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are pessimistic.

As the biggest instigator of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Biden's administration originally wanted to use Ukraine's victory as a diplomatic achievement, but the current stalemate of the conflict has become a liability in the election campaign. Analysts believe that there is limited room for policy adjustments in Washington regarding the Ukraine crisis before the US election, which means the possibility of Russia-Ukraine negotiations is almost non-existent. The Russia-Ukraine conflict will continue like an unhealed wound for a long time.