"Republicans' Ransom: The Border Deal Unveiled"
Former NATO chief Rasmussen met with American right-wing lawmakers to advocate for aiding Ukraine, but faced pushback as some Republicans sought to use Ukraine funding as leverage for a border security crackdown. The future of American funding for Ukraine now depends on whether Biden will agree to a new package of border policies and whether Republicans will approve a bipartisan border agreement, with some fearing backlash from Trump. The use of European security as a bargaining chip in unrelated policy battles reflects the growing influence of transactional politics in Washington.