The Biden administration on Monday sent an urgent warning to Congress about the need to approve tens of billions of dollars in military and economic aid to Ukraine, saying Kyiv’s war effort to defend itself against Russian aggression could grind to a halt without it.
In a letter to House and Senate leaders and also released publicly, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young warned that the US would run out of funds to send weapons and aid to Ukraine by the end of the year, saying it would “close” Ukraine to the battlefield. .
He added that the US has run out of money that has been used to support the Ukrainian economy, and “if the Ukrainian economy collapses, they won’t be able to keep fighting, period.”
“We’re out of money – and almost out of time,” he wrote.
Biden has called for an aid package of nearly $106 billion for Ukraine, Israel and other needs, but it has faced a tough reception on Capitol Hill, where there are growing doubts about the magnitude of aid for Ukraine and where even Republicans who support the funding are pushing. on US-Mexico border policy changes to stem the flow of migrants as a condition for the aid.
President Biden speaks on deficit reduction, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, on Oct. 21. 2022. AP
Meanwhile, the GOP-controlled House has approved a self-help package for Israel, which is at war with Hamas in Gaza, while the White House insists that all priorities must be met.
Congress has appropriated $111 billion to help Ukraine, including $67 billion in military procurement funding, $27 billion for economic and civilian aid and $10 billion for humanitarian aid.
Young wrote that all of that, apart from about 3% of military funding, was gone by mid-November.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reacts during his interview with The Associated Press in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Nov. 30, 2023. US Air Force APs and civilians from the 436th Airlift Squadron drop ammunition, weapons and other equipment headed for Ukraine during a military sale foreign mission at Dover Air Force Base, Del., on Jan. 21, 2022. AP
The Biden administration has said it has slowed some military aid to Kyiv in recent weeks to try to extend supplies until Congress approves more funding.
“We are running out of money to support Ukraine in this fight,” Young wrote.
“This is not a problem for next year. The time to help a democratic Ukraine resist Russian aggression is now. It is time for Congress to act.”
The letter followed a secret Capitol Hill briefing on Nov. 29 for top House and Senate leaders about the need for the aid.
Defense and other national security officials briefed “big four” congressional leaders as Congress debated President Joe Biden’s nearly $106 billion funding package, which includes $61 billion for Ukraine but has been bogged down by Republican demands for changes to US-Mexico border security.
“They’re clear that Ukraine needs that help soon — and so do our military,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told The Associated Press in an interview.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
