Ukraine may lose war if US funding falls through: Yermak
3 Min Read
Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine's President's Office revealed he would be meeting with officials from the White House, State Department, and senators this week to address the need to extend assistance.
-
Ukraine's head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak left, and Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, right, listen to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting with Antony Blinken in Kiev Ukraine on September 6, 2023 (AP)
Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine's President's Office has expressed that Ukraine risks losing the war with Russia if the US does not authorize increased military aid for the nation.
Yermak spoke at an event presented by the US Institute of Peace that "If the help, which now debating in Congress, will be just postponed...it makes with very high possibility impossible to continue to liberate and give big risk to lose this war."
Yermak revealed he would be meeting with officials from the White House, State Department, and senators this week to address the need to extend assistance.
US military spending is anticipated to rise by 3.6% in the 2024 fiscal year, reaching approximately $830 billion. The Pentagon already surpasses the combined defense budgets of the world's nine next-largest nations.
Additionally, President Joe Biden has sought congressional approval for $106 billion in supplemental national security funding, including $61.4 billion in extra military aid for Ukraine. He also motioned to lift all restrictions on military weapons being sent to "Israel", eliminating the $200 million cap, and creating a free-flowing to provide any defense articles to "Israel".
As the US monetary policy is hindered by the excess of military aid overseas, worries about a governmental shutdown are looming.
White House tells Congress 'no magic pot' for Ukraine funds
The White House told Congress on Monday that unless Congress adopts its supplementary budget request, it would run out of money to give military help to Ukraine before the end of the year.
Shalanda Young, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, wrote to Speaker Mike Johnson and other House leaders that as more equipment is sent to Ukraine, there is no "magical pot of funding" to address the need. "We are out of money - and nearly out of time."
Young stated that, despite help from friends, US backing "cannot be replicated by others," and that abandoning it would increase the likelihood of a Russian triumph. She also stated that it aided the domestic defense industry base and US military readiness.
This comes after NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said during an interview with the German Das Erste TV channel that the Ukrainian military has failed over the past several months to make any breakthroughs, but Ukraine should still be receiving unwavering support from the West.
US House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Monday that if Democrats participate in sensible conversations, Congress and the White House might reach a deal on Ukraine aid and border security.
The Biden Administration has failed to substantively address any of my conference’s legitimate concerns about the lack of a clear strategy in Ukraine, a path to resolving the conflict, or a plan for adequately ensuring accountability for aid provided by American taxpayers.… https://t.co/nwthjRxqyP
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) December 4, 2023
