White House: Kiev nearly out of time
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The head of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget says Kiev's economy will implode without US assistance.
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Office of Management and Budget director Shalanda Young speaks about the possible government shutdown during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. (AP)
The White House has urgently requested Congress to approve additional aid for Ukraine, warning that Kiev is "nearly out of time".
In a letter addressed to lawmakers, the head of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Shalanda Young, urged for more US aid to Kiev, claiming that past aid had been useful in assisting Kiev in scoring "significant military victories" against Russia.
"I want to be clear: without congressional action, by the end of the year we will run out of resources to procure more weapons and equipment for Ukraine and to provide equipment from US military stocks," she said. "There is no magical pot of funding available to meet this moment. We are out of money – and nearly out of time."
"Cutting off the flow of US weapons and equipment will kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield, not only putting at risk the gains Ukraine has made but increasing the likelihood of Russian military victories."
Young pointed out that the Department of Defense had spent 97% of the $62.3 billion it received for Ukraine this year, while the State Department and US Agency for International Development (USAID) had used up 100% of the funds allocated.
The official also warned that Ukraine’s economy could implode without continued US assistance, saying Kiev "will not be able to keep fighting, full stop," in the event of a severe downturn.
More than $110bln in aid from US
Since the onset of the war in Ukraine, Washington has allocated more than $110 billion in various types of packages for Ukraine, weapons aid from all Western countries amounted to $100 billion according to a speech made by the Ukrainian Defense Minister back in September.
President Joe Biden has requested a massive spending package worth $106 billion to fund several priorities of his administration, including military aid to Ukraine and "Israel". However, the White House faces opposition from a growing number of Republicans who have become increasingly skeptical about US aid to Kiev, with GOP members in the House favoring standalone aid to "Israel" alone.
Read more: Weapons supplied to Ukraine flooding Africa's black markets: DPR Head
Back in October, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said a new weapons package for "Israel" and Ukraine would top $2 billion.
In an interview on CBS's "Face the Nation," Sullivan relayed that Biden is due to hold critical talks with Congress regarding the approval of the package this week.
This package is proving quite important for Biden, who has also been contemplating adding Taiwan to the duo just to get it approved, while some Republicans are calling to cut money for Kiev.
Read more: Stingers, Javelin missiles sent to Kiev sold on black market: Lavrov
