Blinken: U.S. aims to make Ukraine not needing Western support
Photo: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (Getty Images)
The U.S. government, in collaboration with allies, aims to ensure that Ukraine has the ability to stand firm militarily and economically in the face of existing challenges and not depend on support from partner countries in the future, says U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a briefing on December 20.
According to the official, the United States wants to ensure that Ukraine will have a strong foundation and resources for independent resolution of financial, military-defense, and democratic issues so that "support and assistance will no longer be necessary."
Blinken emphasized that this is "a very clear plan" of the U.S. side along with the international coalition.
At the same time, the U.S. Secretary of State pointed out that until this is achieved, support from partners should continue.
In this context, Blinken highlighted the importance of assistance in the face of existing threats to Ukraine, both in terms of repelling Russian attacks and in the counteroffensive actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to liberate occupied territories.
Issue of U.S. financial aid for Ukraine
Recall that in October, U.S. President Joe Biden requested over $106 billion from Congress for national security needs. Among them was new military assistance funding for Ukraine totaling over $61 billion.
However, on December 6, the U.S. Senate blocked the start of debates on the military aid package. The reason for this was the demands of the Republican Party to include a more stringent set of measures regarding the protection of the southern border with Mexico in the bill.
Republicans and Democrats began negotiations to reach a compromise on providing funding for military assistance to Ukraine. Against this backdrop, the U.S. Senate decided to continue working before the Christmas holidays.
It should be noted that on December 20, the leaders of the U.S. Senate made a statement of support for Ukraine and expressed the opinion that funding could not be approved until the end of 2023.
Also today, White House representative John Kirby expressed hope that the Senate would approve the additional financial assistance package for Ukraine in January 2024.
For more details on why the U.S. cannot reach an agreement on aid to Ukraine, refer to the material by RBC-Ukraine.
