A Ukrainian soldier prepares a drone for use.Image: keystone
analysis
While the Pentagon suddenly praises the Ukrainian army as a military role model, Congress is forcing a vote on billions of dollars in new weapons aid.
May 18, 2026, 11:27 amMay 18, 2026, 11:39
Just a few months ago, the line of the second Trump administration seemed clear: pressure on Kiev, coddling Putin and arms deliveries to Ukraine only in return for cash from European allies. Trump’s focus is on a deal with Moscow.
But in recent days there have been increasing signs of a remarkable change in mood in Washington – not necessarily in the White House itself, but in the Pentagon, in the security policy establishment and, above all, in Congress.
The clearest indication of this is provided by Foreign Minister Marco Rubio. During an interview with Fox News, Rubio spoke about the Ukrainian armed forces in unusually emphatic terms.
Contradicting every Trump talking point, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that Ukraine now has the strongest military in all Europe and that Russia is losing 5 times more soldiers than Kyiv. pic.twitter.com/FNX5mQmUEo
— Jay in Kyiv (@JayinKyiv) May 15, 2026
«The Ukrainians have developed new tactics, techniques, equipment and technologies that are waging a type of hybrid asymmetric warfare. “That’s impressive,” praised Rubio. His strategic classification was even more remarkable: Ukraine today has “the strongest and most powerful armed forces in all of Europe”.
Such statements would have been hardly imaginable from the Trump administration’s environment just a few months ago. Ukraine is no longer portrayed as just a greedy and ungrateful beggar of military equipment, but increasingly as a military innovator. It is no longer the loser at the poker table “without cards”, but a military power that even the USA has to learn from.
It is precisely this narrative that now runs through numerous public statements by high-ranking American military officials.
Revolutionary Delta System from Ukraine
Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command, said in a congressional hearing that his forces had adopted a large number of “tactics, techniques and procedures that Ukraine passed on to the United States.” These would help “defend Americans”. American Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll became more specific after his return from Kyiv.
CENTCOM Commander Admiral Cooper: We’ve adopted large numbers of tactics, techniques, and procedures that Ukrainians passed to us, which helped us defend Americans.
All of our partners work with Ukrainians in some way, shape, or form. Are they more effective as a result? Yes. pic.twitter.com/gUPbV04T3v
— Kate from Kharkiv (@BohuslavskaKate) May 15, 2026
Before a committee, Driscoll praised the Ukrainian Delta battle management system as technologically superior to American solutions. The system integrates drones, sensors and fire platforms into a common network in real time. “We don’t have anything comparable,” admitted Driscoll. American troops are now systematically studying the Ukrainian experience.
These statements are much more than diplomatic pleasantries. In Driscoll’s case, they also come from a close confidant of the “Ukraine hater” JD Vance. This shows how much the perception of the Ukrainian army within the American security apparatus is changing.
At the same time, impatience is growing in the US Congress. Republican MP Don Bacon condemned the sudden failure to send troops to Poland in the media as “foolish, terrible news” and “an embarrassment” for the USA. The former general is also in charge of a parliamentary process that can be described as a legislative uprising in the US Congress.
With a so-called “discharge petition,” supporters of the Ukraine Support Act reached 218 signatures last week – enough to force a vote on the law against the wishes of the Republican leadership.
The Ukraine Support Act includes, among other things, $9.3 billion in direct military aid and loans for weapons procurement. This would allow air defense systems, drones and long-range missiles to be released again.
Discharge Petition #8 will force a vote on the Ukraine Support Act. As Ukraine’s forces continue liberating stolen territory, Liberty hangs in the balance. Our effort, 218 strong, shows bipartisan Congressional support for Ukraine’s defense of Liberty. pic.twitter.com/JYIdJ0gU3K
— Rep. Marcy Kaptur (@RepMarcyKaptur) May 14, 2026
Democrat Marcy Kaptur praised the cross-party alliance in an emotional speech in the House of Representatives: “The freedom of Ukraine and NATO is at stake.” At the same time, Kaptur was convinced “that this law will be passed in this house”.
Zelensky changes his tactics towards the USA
This is perhaps the most strategically important development of the last few days. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appears to have increasingly recognized that his most important contact in Washington is no longer the White House, but rather Congress and the Republicans’ traditional security policy networks.
Selensky’s meeting with representatives of the conservative Hudson Institute via Ascension in Kiev was indicative of this. In his subsequent message, Selenski emphasized the good cooperation with the US legislature. The Americans, for their part, tweeted: “The Hudson is on the side of Ukraine.”
Kiev’s strategy is obvious: While Trump publicly continues to push for major geopolitical deals, the Ukrainian leadership is trying, away from the spotlight, to build a sustainable, cross-party coalition in Washington.
On the other hand, Ukraine is no longer seen as a burden on American power, but as a military multiplier in strategic competition with Russia and China – which is doubly important given America’s impasse in the Iran War.
It remains to be seen whether this pressure from below will actually lead to a fundamental change in course by the Trump administration. But the last few days have shown that the balance of power in Washington has become more complex than the president’s public rhetoric and his infamous Putin phone calls suggest. Apparently, more and more Republicans are striving to at least be on the right side of history in view of the looming midterm defeat. (aargauerzeitung.ch)