The Biden administration on Monday sent Congress an urgent warning about the need to approve tens of billions of dollars in military and economic assistance to Ukraine, saying Kiev’s war effort to defend against the Russian invasion could grind to a halt without it.
In a letter addressed to House and Senate leaders and also released publicly, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young warned that the United States will run out of funds to send weapons and assistance to Ukraine before the end of year, saying that would “weaken” Ukraine. On the battlefield.
He added that the United States has already run out of the money it has used to prop up Ukraine’s economy, and “if Ukraine’s economy collapses, they won’t be able to keep fighting, period.”
“We have run out of money and almost out of time,” he wrote.
Biden has sought a nearly $106 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other needs, but has faced a rocky reception on Capitol Hill, where there is growing skepticism about the magnitude of assistance for Ukraine and where even Republicans those who support the financing insist. on changes to border policy between the United States and Mexico to stem the flow of migrants as a condition of assistance.
Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young warns Congress that the United States will run out of funds to send weapons and assistance to Ukraine by the end of the year. REUTERS President Biden speaks about deficit reduction in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, October 21, 2022. AP
Meanwhile, the GOP-controlled House approved a separate aid package for Israel, which is fighting a war with Hamas in Gaza, while the White House has maintained that all priorities must be met.
Congress has already allocated $111 billion to help Ukraine, including $67 billion in military procurement funding, $27 billion for economic and civil assistance, and $10 billion for humanitarian aid.
Young wrote that all of that money, except about 3% of military funding, had been exhausted by mid-November.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reacts during his interview with The Associated Press in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Nov. 30, 2023. AP U.S. airmen and civilians from the 436th Aerial Port Squadron palletize ammunition, weapons and other equipment bound for Ukraine during a military sale abroad. Mission at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, on January 21, 2022. AP
The Biden administration has said it has slowed the pace of some military assistance to kyiv in recent weeks to try to stretch supplies until Congress approves more funding.
“We have run out of money to support Ukraine in this fight,” Young wrote.
“This is not a problem for next year. Now is the time to help a democratic Ukraine fight Russian aggression. It is time for Congress to act.”
The letter came after a classified briefing on Capitol Hill on Nov. 29 for top House and Senate leaders about the need for assistance.
Defense and other national security officials briefed congressional “Big Four” leaders as Congress debates President Joe Biden’s nearly $106 billion funding package, which includes $61 billion for Ukraine, but has been caught up in Republican demands for changes to border security between the United States and Mexico.
“They were clear that Ukraine needs help soon, and our military needs help soon,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told The Associated Press in an interview.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn