US 'not twisting arms' on 'Israel' decision not to arm Ukraine

• 

The United States will not be forcing the Israeli occupation into anything it does not want to be doing, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House John Kirby said on Monday regarding "Tel Aviv's" decision not to provide arms to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized earlier today the Israeli occupation once again for withholding air defense systems that he said Kiev needed to protect Ukraine from airstrikes waged by Russia.

"Every time we discuss Russia's rocket and drone terror we talk about our partners who are already doing whatever they can to protect the sky. Unfortunately, the words 'Israel' and 'Israeli' are never mentioned," he said in a video address.

"We are not twisting arms. We're not controlling. We're not lecturing to other nations," Kirby told reporters.

Washington is merely "asking and helping coordinate" contributions of other nations to Ukraine. "Each nation has to decide for itself what it's willing to provide," he added.

Ukraine is still yet to receive any aid from "Israel", however. The occupation's ambassador to Ukraine, Michael Brodsky had said earlier in the month that "Tel Aviv" was ready to help Kiev against Russia in the ongoing war, but without crossing the "red lines" that could undermine its security.

The Israeli occupation has refused to join the West's bid in arming Ukraine, arguing that it would harm its already sensitive ties with Russia.

However, still, due to "Israel's" support of Ukraine, tensions soared between "Tel Aviv" and Moscow, prompting the latter to close the "Jewish Agency for Israel's" work in Russia, giving rise to further tensions.

Former Russian President and senior Security Council of Russia member Dmitry Medvedev warned "Israel" Monday against providing weapons to Ukraine, stressing that any move to boost Kiev's arsenal would severely damage bilateral relations.

Zelensky said in late September that he was "shocked" the Israeli occupation was not joining the West in supplying Kiev with weapons in light of the Ukraine war.

What comes off as inaccurate about the Ukrainian President's words is that Israeli media reported in mid-September that an Israeli arms manufacturer was supplying anti-UAV systems to Ukraine via Poland, with the sales conducted through Warsaw to circumvent "Tel Aviv's" refusal to sell advanced arms to Ukraine.

The Israeli occupation uses anti-drone systems around the Gaza separation wall, the Palestinian-Lebanese borders, and the Palestinian-Syrian borders, with "Israel" claimed to be one of the world's top developers and manufacturers of the technology with the involvement of various Israeli arms manufacturers, such as IAI, Elbit, and MCTECH.

Further US funding

"We're going to support Ukraine for as long as it takes, and if that requires us to come back to Congress to talk about additional funding, we certainly will be willing to do that as we have in the past," Kirby told a press briefing.

To date, the United States has committed more than $18 billion to Ukraine since January 2021, making Washington the biggest donor of military and financial assistance to Kiev amid the ongoing Ukraine war.

The US Senate approved in late September an additional $12 billion in fresh economic and military aid for Ukraine as part of Washington's stopgap extension of the US federal budget into December.

The bill, met with bipartisan support, includes $3 billion for arms, supplies, and salaries for the Ukrainian military while authorizing US President Joe Biden to direct the Department of Defense to provide Ukraine with $3.7 billion of its own weapons and materiel using his Presidential Drawdown Authority.

The act further provides $4.5 billion for Kiev to stabilize the country's finances and keep Kiev's government afloat.

The United States had approved days earlier an extra $1.1 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, providing 18 new High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).

HIMARS is capable of launching Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) missiles with a range of up to 50 miles as well as a single Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missile with a range of 186 miles. The US has been continuously supplying Ukraine with GMLRSs, while Kiev continues to make demands for ATACMS delivery.

With the November elections looming on the horizon, the Republican Party is growing more opposed to spending money on Ukraine, and cutting aid to Kiev is only projected to become more of a GOP priority if the red party wins the majority in the House of Representatives in January.