RT quoted White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby as saying that Washington's military aid to Kiev has been temporarily suspended. This information was given in the context of debates in the US Congress about continuing to support Ukraine in the conflict with Russia.
“The United States has done the last budgetary package that we could do. That is why it is so important that the United States Congress implements the national security supplemental funding request,” Kirby told reporters at a White House briefing on January 11, acknowledging that “the support that the United States provides to Ukraine” has now stopped.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. (Photo: AFP)
The final $250 million aid package was approved by President Joe Biden in late December through the Presidential Withdrawal Authority, which allows for emergency arms transfers to allies without the need for approval from the US Congress.
Biden had previously asked Congress to vote on a supplemental funding request of more than $100 billion, including more than $60 billion for Ukraine. Republicans blocked the proposal, demanding that the White House and congressional Democrats agree to a plan to tighten security on the border with Mexico.
White House Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young told reporters in January that the withdrawal of aid would not allow for the transfer of heavy military equipment to Ukraine.
Earlier this month, Pentagon spokesman Major General Patrick Ryder warned that the US military was running out of options “to replenish the stockpile.”
While Mr Biden has publicly pledged to support Kiev “for as long as necessary”, some Republicans and the media have questioned Washington’s current strategy as the Ukrainian counter-offensive has ended in failure. General Valery Zaluzhny, Chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian military, has also admitted that the conflict is “at a standstill”.
EU officials also increasingly acknowledge that arms deliveries to Ukraine have been delayed due to production and logistics problems.
“Europe does not know how to wage war. Unfortunately, our allies have spent too much time thinking about how and when to increase the production of weapons and ammunition,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said in a recent interview, referring to the disruption of military aid from Europe.
Tra Khanh (Source: russian.rt.com)
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