SAN ANTONIO – A bipartisan Senate deal that pairs border enforcement measures with aid for Ukraine and Israel is on shaky ground.
The deal that could be revealed this week is becoming a political tug-of-war over border legislation.
Local Ukrainians say if the deal falls through, their loved ones’ lives will be on the line.
Busy in her European Dumplings Cafe in Castle Hills, Olga Veretelnak is someone you could sit with for hours, talking and sipping coffee.
She is fulfilling a dream of opening the first Ukrainian food restaurant in San Antonio. However, behind her joyful demeanor is stress and worry for her loved ones still on the frontlines in Ukraine.
“Males cannot leave the country. I have my uncle there. I have my cousin there. I have my friends, my relatives there,” she said.
When asked if it is still an “all hands on deck” situation, she said, “Oh yes. I think it’s even more now.”
Ukraine is running out of weapons, and they need more help than ever.
That help lies in the U.S. aid package worth tens of billions of dollars.
“I think people are stressed. I hear that people are like, ‘Oh, if America gonna leave us, I don’t know what we’re gonna do,’” Veretelnak said.
Huge sections of Ukraine are already leveled, especially the land close to the Russian border.
“My mom came from there. She’s lost everything. My cousins, friends, they lost everything,” Veretelnak said.
What they didn’t lose is their lives, unlike so many others, including their nephew’s young friends fighting in the battle.
“Four boys from his group — they go into the same area but different city, and they got killed,” Veretelnak said.
To prevent more violent heartbreak, she prays the bill will pass.
While aid is stalled and every headline is no longer about Ukraine, Veretelnak said her loved ones do not feel forgotten.
“They still think Americans support them. We have such a blessing, America. It is from God,” she said with gratitude.
She feels the love every day in San Antonio and hopes magnified versions of that support will make it to Ukraine in time.