The house of representatives of US Congress approved a draft defense budget for fiscal year 2021, which contains the amendment to strengthen sanctions against the Russian gas pipeline “Nord stream — 2”. It foresees the allocation of military assistance to Ukraine, funds for the containment of Russia in Europe and a number of other initiatives. The White house announced that Donald trump will impose a veto on the project, if the document will not clean a number of provisions that restrict his actions. Experts note that the US defence budget has become another instrument of foreign policy for the American establishment.

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The house of representatives of the United States Congress adopted the draft defense budget the law on budget allocations for national defense (National Defense Authorization Act, NDAA) fiscal year 2021 in the amount of $740,5 billion, which includes a number of anti-Russian measures. The adoption of the draft voted 295 congressmen, against — 125.

The draft contains amendments aimed at strengthening sanctions against the Russian gas pipeline “Nord stream — 2”. If the draft budget will be adopted in its current form, the new sanctions will be imposed against individuals and companies who sell, rent or otherwise provide court involved in the construction of the Russian pipeline.

We will remind that sanctions pressure against Russia’s gas pipelines is extremely unpopular in Europe. So, on July 17, the EU high representative for foreign Affairs and security policy Josep Borrell said the European Union is opposed to unilateral sanctions and the threat of their use by the United States in respect of the pipeline “Nord stream — 2”, because such measures are contrary to international law.

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In addition, amendments to the draft defence budget assuming the allocation of $3,789 billion on the “containment” of Russia in Europe in the framework of the European initiative of deterrence (EDI).

European initiative deterrence is a program to strengthen the American military presence in Europe. She was launched by the Obama administration in 2014, after the reunification of the Crimea with Russia and the beginning of the armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine.

EDI provides for the permanent presence of US forces in Europe on a rotational basis through exercises and related weaponization.

Also amendments to the defence budget provides for the allocation of military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $250 million, of which only $50 million can be used for the supply of lethal weapons.

Amendments negotiated and downgrading of military cooperation between the US and Russia, except in cases to prevent conflicts.

In addition to Russia, the budget and Congress provides funding for the containment of China. So, to strengthen the US position in the Pacific region are invited to send $3.6 billion.

Internal divisions

The amendments to the defense budget of the United States to 2021 financial year also contains a number of provisions aimed against the recent initiatives of the administration of Donald trump.

So, in the adopted by the house of representatives the bill proposed to prohibit the administration of a trump to reduce the number of American military forces in Germany and Afghanistan. In addition, it has an amendment banning the funding of nuclear tests, which wanted to revive the current administration.

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Congress included in the defense budget a ban on the use of funds allocated to the Pentagon for the construction of a wall on the border with Mexico — a long-term plan for trump to combat the influx of undocumented immigrants from Central and South America.

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After the adoption by the house of representatives a draft defense budget must be agreed by the upper house of Congress — the Senate, which will present its version of the document with a new set of amendments.

Earlier, the White house announced that Donald trump will veto the bill if it is not cleaned before the amendment, requiring the renaming of American military bases, named in honor of the leaders and generals of the Confederacy.

This issue was also raised in the United States amid mass protests, the Democrats and other politicians claim that the similar names are a manifestation of “racism”.

The white house also expressed disagreement with other provisions limiting the initiative of Donald trump.

In turn, a Pentagon spokesman expressed hope that the U.S. Congress and the White house will overcome their differences, given the importance of this issue of the harmonization of the defense budget.

The old logic

New provisions for sanctions against Russia, saying that the US defence budget is, in essence, was another “foreign policy tool”, which is promoted by the American establishment, according to the expert of the Center for the study of security problems of the RAS Konstantin Blokhin.

“Today, instead of trying to be less wasteful, to calculate how much one or the other initiative, members of Congress allocate more funds to foreign policy. The draft defence budget, in fact, directed against potential adversaries in Russia and its NATO partners. There is a feeling that he was adopted out of despair,” — said the expert.

This project demonstrates that the American elite has not made any conclusions about how we should spend funds, said Konstantin Blokhin.

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“Continues the logic of previous administrations that America is a colossus which strides the victorious March of the world and does not listen to the opinions of others. However, today things have changed, time has passed to use of the ax in international Affairs. There’s already been enough examples that showed that us leadership is declining, so you need to minimize spending to make America more competitive and efficient. Foreign policy, backed by the military budget should be more flexible, but we still hear Imperial echoes” — said the analyst.

Konstantin Blokhin has said that trump can veto a bill, but it can be overridden by two-thirds vote of Congress, then the document will go to the Senate.

In turn, political scientist Alexander Asaph believes that trump will not be overly opposed to the provisions of the budget, as its task is its consistent increase.

“The goal of the trump to increase the military budget. So I don’t think he’s going to veto, but on the contrary, to expand it, to once again break the record the figures in these additional articles to include their interests, whether completion of the wall on the border or other tasks,” — said the expert.