US Government Shutdown Would Play Right Into Putin’s Hands

The looming U.S. government shutdown could play into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hands as Ukraine battles to peel back Russian control along the front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine.
The race is on to reach a spending deal to stop what would be a fourth federal government shutdown in the past five years ahead of midnight striking at the end of the fiscal year on September 30. But the rippling impacts would be felt further afield than U.S. territory—a shutdown could hinder Ukraine’s ability to fight Russian forces in its grueling counteroffensive, handing the Kremlin an advantage Kyiv can ill afford.
The shutdown will impact