WASHINGTON – President Biden had to hold an emergency call with world leaders on Tuesday to reassure them of his continued support for Ukraine — after Congress canceled military aid funding for the war-torn country in a continuing resolution over the weekend.
“The president reaffirmed the strong commitment of the United States to support Ukraine as it defends itself for as long as necessary, as did every other leader on the call,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
The call included heads of state and foreign ministers from Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Poland, Romania, France and the United Kingdom, as well as top leaders of NATO and the European Commission, he said.
The White House organized the call after Congress removed a provision that would continue aid funding for Ukraine from a continuing resolution bill passed Saturday — to keep the government open for business for another 45 days.
Without additional funding, Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters on Tuesday that the US only has enough funds to meet the needs of the Kyiv battlefield “for a little while longer.”
Kirby also warned that losing support “even for a short period of time can make all the difference on the battlefield.”
President Biden had to hold an emergency call with world leaders on Tuesday to reassure them of his continued support for Ukraine.Getty Images
“Just as critical, the loss of such support will happen [Russian President Vladimir] Putin believes that he can wait for us [and] continue the conflict until we and our allies and our partners come together,” he added.
Although Biden, 80, has the authority to give Kyiv another $5.4 billion in weapons from the current US stockpile, there are no remaining Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funds left to buy new equipment for the country, Singh said.
The White House said more help would soon be needed for the Pentagon to continue delivering packages that Kirby said had been delivered every two weeks, on average.
Kirby said increasing the funding was “very important” as the Defense Department “worked to replenish the stockpile” of weapons previously provided in nearly 50 production packages since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
“Time is not our friend,” Kirby said.
“The president reaffirmed the strong commitment of the United States to support Ukraine as it defends itself for as long as necessary, as did every other leader on the call,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. Ukrainian EMERGENCY SERVICES/AFP via Getty Images
“As Ukrainians endure difficult counterattacks, as their children continue to be torn from their families, and as winter approaches, it is important that we help them make the most of each day.”
Biden, meanwhile, on Monday urged Republicans in Congress to reject some of their right-wing colleagues who are calling for an end to aid – telling reporters “we cannot under any circumstances allow American support for Ukraine to be disrupted.”
The president had told reporters on Sunday that he had reached a deal with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy since sitting down to get Ukraine aid, but the White House was forced to retract those comments a day later after Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla. ) accused the speaker of reaching a “secret deal” with the Democratic president.
McCarthy also denied reaching such an agreement.
Kirby said Tuesday that Biden “looks forward to working with Congress” to ensure continued aid, adding that he “has every expectation that Speaker McCarthy will maintain his public commitment to get the necessary support in place.”
The White House organized the call after Congress removed a provision that would continue aid funding for Ukraine from a continuing resolution bill passed on Saturday to keep the government open for business.Getty Images
However, McCarthy was removed from his post in a historic floor vote just hours after Kirby made the comments.
With House leadership now in turmoil, it’s unclear where the future of Ukraine funding will go — though Kirby said a majority of Republicans support continuing the aid.
“As evidenced in today’s call, we know that the world is watching,” he said.
“US leadership has galvanized international support and … American leadership remains key to ensuring continued support for Ukraine.”
“Countering Putin’s ability to wage war against neighboring countries could actually prevent a larger conflict in which American troops might be needed, and it sends a strong signal to other would-be aggressors who might consider military action in their neighboring territories as such. that action is unacceptable and they will pay the consequences,” he added.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
