Former President Donald Trump has been uncharacteristically
quiet about the Ukraine aid bill.
He hasn’t been posting on social media or issuing any public instructions to his
Republican colleagues over how to vote.
That’s unusual, especially
as Trump is a well-known sceptic of international alliances in general, and
of supporting Ukraine in particular.
He has often spoken warmly about Vladimir
Putin and has previously said he would “end” the war in Ukraine “in 24 hours.”
Many in Europe fear that this would mean trying to force the Ukrainians into
accepting an unfavourable peace deal with the Kremlin.
But Trump hasn’t opposed
the Ukraine aid proposal, and has publicly stood by House Speaker Mike Johnson,
who is battling to fend off a challenge to oust him over the bill.
Perhaps Trump has bigger
fish to fry at the moment – namely, his New York court case, as well as three
other criminal trials in the pipeline.
But there could be another
reason.
Two days ago, in New York, Trump had dinner with the Polish
President Andrzej Duda.
The two men are good friends and politically aligned.
It’s possible that Duda, who knows better than most the importance of
supporting Ukraine in its battle against Russian aggression, had a word in his ear about the Ukraine aid bill, and convinced the former President to
let it pass.