Jake Sullivan, the National Security Adviser, said that voting against help for Ukraine was the same thing as voting to make it easier for Russia to win.
White House Warns Congress That Weapons Money for Ukraine Will Run Out – (PHOTO: The New York) Times
According to The Journal news report, if Congress doesn’t agree to give more money, the White House has given a grave warning that U.S. help for Ukraine will run out by the end of the year. Shalanda Young, who is in charge of President Biden’s budget, stressed how important it is for Ukraine to get armed help in its fight against the Russian attack. Biden asked for a $106 billion national security package, but Congress has been divided, so the money has not been sent yet. “We are out of money and nearly out of time,” Young said to stress how important it was. Jake Sullivan, the National Security Adviser, told Congress that they had to decide whether to back Ukraine’s fight for freedom or risk letting Putin win. The approaching date makes it even more important for Congress to move quickly.
Congress doesn’t want to help Ukraine right away because Russian threats are getting worse. Speaker Johnson in particular doesn’t like that the Biden administration doesn’t have a clear plan for Ukraine. Republicans want any help to Ukraine to be tied to changes in how the U.S. handles its borders, which makes the approval process even more difficult. There are disagreements within the administration that make it harder for President Biden to connect funds for Ukraine and Israel. Conservative lawmakers are against giving Kyiv more help. The latest deal to fund the government avoided a shutdown, but it left out important help for Ukraine and Israel. This shows how hard it is to deal with political disagreements in Congress.
The border in Ukraine hasn’t moved in a year, even though Ukrainian troops have made a big push with help from Western armies. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the US has already given some $111 billion to the country, mostly for buying weapons. Nevertheless, it is hard for European countries to get more money, and worries are rising in Washington that Putin might put off serious peace talks until after the next U.S. presidential election, hoping for a possible positive result. Public opinion polls show that more and more people think the U.S. is helping Kyiv too much. Speculation abounds about Putin’s desire for the return of Donald Trump, who has been more friendly toward Russia. This would make geopolitics more complicated, given Trump’s past with Ukraine and his impending impeachment in 2019.
